Ibram X. Kendi will bring the works of Zora Neale Hurston to a young audience, HarperCollins announced in a news release.
Kendi, the National Book Award–winning author of Stamped From the Beginning and How To Be an Antiracist, signed a six-book deal with the publisher to adapt selections from Hurston’s works into books for children.
Hurston is regarded as one of the most important American writers of the 20th century. The author and anthropologist was known for her writing on African American folklore, and for her books including Their Eyes Were Watching God, Mules and Men, and Jonah’s Gourd Vine. She experienced a surge in popularity when Alice Walker wrote a magazine article about her work, 15 years after her death in 1960.
The first book in the new series, Magnolia Flower, is adapted from Hurston’s 1925 short story of the same name. HarperCollins calls the book, illustrated by Loveis Wise (Ablaze With Color), “a story of a transformative and radical devotion between generations of Indigenous and Black people in America” that “reminds us that there is no force strong enough to stop love.”
Kendi shared news of the book series on Instagram, writing, “As a girl dad witnessing the narrowing of literary offerings who wants all kids everywhere to be exposed to a diverse array of illustrious storytellers, I could not be more excited to help bring to our children some of the stories that Zora Neale Hurston wrote and collected.”
In a statement, the Zora Neale Hurston Trust said, “[Kendi’s] adapted story is captivating, and we believe it is sure to become one of the treasured stories for children for generations to come. Dr. Kendi’s dedication to nourishing the minds of the young makes this a precious project, one in which we are fortunate to be associated.”
Magnolia Flower is scheduled for publication on Sept. 6.
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
