Give the gift of Zora Neale Hurston with MAGNOLIA FLOWER, adapted by Ibram X. Kendi!

"Kendi adapted this 1925 short story about Afro-Indigenous love and resistance into a picture book so children wouldn't have to wait to absorb Hurston's rich folkloric tales." – New York Times Book Review

NEW YORK, Nov. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- This holiday season, give children a reimagined classic of Black literature with Magnolia Flower (available now wherever books are sold). Originally published in 1925 as a short story, Magnolia Flower, by acclaimed African American folklorist Zora Neale Hurston, has been adapted as a gorgeously illustrated picture book, perfect for sharing with children. Tenderly retold by National Book Award–winner Ibram X. Kendi, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist, Magnolia Flower is a story of a transformative and radical devotion between generations of Indigenous and Black people in America. With breathtaking artwork from rising star Loveis Wise, this picture book reminds us that there is no force strong enough to stop love.

Dr. Kendi was inspired to adapt Hurston's work for children while reading to his daughter. He wanted to be able to introduce her to this legendary writer from a young age, and with Magnolia Flower, parents and caregivers can, too. Magnolia Flower is the first in a six-book publishing program of adaptations of Hurston's work from Dr. Kendi. The Magnolia Flower audiobook, also available now, is narrated by Emmy Award-winner Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary).

"The earlier we expose our children to our literary treasures—to our literary legends like Hurston—the better," writes Dr. Kendi in his author note for Magnolia Flower. "Every Hurston story is a treasure. I am honored to help deliver this treasure to the world."

Ibram X. Kendi is an award-winning American author, the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University, and the founding director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research. In 2020, Time Magazine named Dr. Kendi one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Zora Neale Hurston was an American author, anthropologist, and filmmaker. She portrayed racial struggles in the early-1900s American South and published research on West African spiritual practices of enslaved Black Americans. The most popular of her four novels is Their Eyes Were Watching God, published in 1937. Her books have sold over 8 million copies and have never gone out of print.

Loveis Wise is an illustrator and designer from Washington, DC. They are currently based in Los Angeles and their work often speaks to themes of joy and liberation. Their work can be found through the New Yorker, Google, Adobe, and the New York Times. You can find them online at www.loveiswise.com.

HarperCollins Children's Books is one of the leading publishers of children's and teen books. Respected worldwide for its tradition of publishing quality, award-winning books for young readers, HarperCollins Children's Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, which is the second largest consumer book publisher in the world. You can visit HarperCollins Children's Books at www.harpercollinschildrens.com and www.epicreads.com and HarperCollins Publishers at corporate.HC.com.

SOURCE HarperCollins Children's Books

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