#420 of 1001 · September 24, 2021

The book of the day is @evanturkart’s The Storyteller, an original narrative replete with wisdom and heart. In the ancient Kingdom of Morocco, the fountains have run dry and the storytellers have lost their place in the hearts of the people. A thirsty young boy encounters an old storyteller who over the course of several days unfolds a mysterious and recursive tale: the old man tells the boy of a girl, a blind woman, and a marvelous bird; the blind woman tells the girl of a weaver, an enigmatic stranger, and a skein of fantastical yarn; the stranger tells the weaver of her odyssey in the desert as a young runaway bride. Each time the old man finishes speaking for the day, the boy’s cup has miraculously filled with water. When the kingdom is threatened by an enormous sandstorm incarnated as a fearsome djinn, the boy uses the power of the old man’s story to return water to the fountains and save the people from ruin. Turk’s language dances and sparkles, rich imagery and captivatingly tactile similes enlivening his unique story-within-a-story-within-a-story structure. His avant-garde illustrations create expressionistic tableaux through lively contour drawings, eye-popping geometric designs, and myriad other techniques. #storyteller #storytelling #story #stories #desert #water #fountain #morocco #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks