A Story, A Story (book)

Before I was a book, I was a whisper. A story told from person to person. Now, my pages are bright with colors like a sunset over the African savanna. My pictures are strong, with dark, carved lines that show a clever spider, a powerful sky-god, and a shiny golden box full of all the stories in the world. I am a book, and my name is A Story, A Story, born in the year 1970. I was made to hold a very old tale from Africa, one that traveled across oceans and through time just to reach you. The story is about a famous hero named Ananse the Spider-Man, and how he spun a web to catch stories for everyone. He was small, but he was very, very smart. It’s a tale that has been loved for a long, long time, and I get to keep it safe.

My maker was a wonderful woman named Gail E. Haley. She was an artist and a storyteller who loved traveling to faraway places to listen to old tales. When she heard the story of Ananse the Spider-Man in the Caribbean, she knew she had to share his clever adventure with children everywhere. But she didn't just use paintbrushes or crayons to create me. Gail did something special called woodcutting. She carefully carved each picture into a block of wood, like making a stamp. Then, she would roll colorful ink onto the wood block and press it onto my pages. This is why my art looks so bold and strong, with thick black lines that feel like they could jump right off the page. It was a lot of hard work, but it made my story feel just as powerful as the old storytellers who first shared it. In 1971, all of her hard work was celebrated. I was given a shiny, round gold sticker. It was the Caldecott Medal, a special award given to the most beautiful picture book of the whole year. I felt so proud to wear it.

A Story Box for Everyone
My most important job is to be a 'story box'. I carry a special treasure, the story of Ananse, from its home in Africa to new friends in other parts of the world, like America. For many children, I was the first time they ever heard about the tricky spider-man who was brave enough to buy stories from the sky-god. For over fifty years, my pages have been turned by thousands of little hands. My story has been read aloud in cozy bedrooms, sunny libraries, and busy classrooms. Children have giggled at Ananse's tricks and cheered when he brought the golden box of stories down to the people for everyone to share. I am more than just paper and ink. I am proof that a good story is a bridge that can connect us all, no matter where we live. I remind everyone that stories are treasures, and if you listen closely, there is always a new one waiting for you to discover.