I recently read The Keeper of Stories, a 2025 picture book written by Caroline Kusin Pritchard and illustrated by Selina Alko.
I stumbled across The Keeper of Stories–it was listed as a new book at my public library–but it is a striking book, and I suggest it. This book tells the story of the 1966 fire at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in New York. JTS was founded in 1886, and offers education in Judaism on multiple levels (for scholars, the general public, etc.) and in multiple ways (webinars, in-person intensives, etc.).
I had not known about the fire, but this book tells the story of how a fire started and threatened the extensive JTS library collection, putting centuries-old classics at risk–and how hundreds of volunteers carried many books out of the library. Other members of the community help dry and preserve the books, eventually rescuing about 170,000 books. People helped with technological solutions (using machines to dry the books) and in small, homey ways (local kids donated $2.65 raised from a bake sale).
The words and images work together to make the story vivid, highlighting the feel of the New York neighborhood, the chaos of the fire (and the firefighting), and, throughout, the community.
This isn’t a story I would have said would make a good picture book, but it definitely was.
