The Keeper of Stories by Caroline Kusin Pritchard

In The Keeper of Stories, lyrical prose and engaging mixed media illustrations tell the story of the 1966 fire in New York’s Jewish Theological Seminary Library.

The Keeper of Stories by Caroline Kusin Pritchard, illustrated by Selina Alko. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2025. 40 pages.

• Reading Level: Picture books, ages 4-8
• Recommended For: Ages 4-10

Established in 1893, the Jewish Theological Seminary Library was an incredible repository of knowledge. Its contents dated back to the Middle Ages and included Torah Scrolls sent to the library for safe-keeping from the Jewish community in Danzig, Poland, before its Nazi occupation. Tragically, in 1966, a fire broke out on the library’s top floors, destroying 70,000 books. The remaining 170,000 were damaged and water-logged, but New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds came together to help save the damaged books.

Kusin introduces this story to a picture book audience. Her dramatic prose invokes different elements of the story, begging each to “keep our stories alive.” While ultimately a story of hope, parents will note some tones of activism with a reference to the library containing banned books. (Though the books pictured in illustrations: The Giving Tree, The Snowy Day, and To Kill a Mockingbird, will not give offense!) 

While the historical note at the end is fascinating, the following author’s note is more overtly focused on activism, speaking against the banning of books with “characters of color and LGBTQIA+ themes” and decrying “hate and fear-fueled censorship.” Readers might not agree with all the author’s sentiments, but we can all agree the story of the Jewish Theological Seminary Library’s “Operation Booklift” is a hope-filled tale.

Considerations:

• Worldview: note comments in above paragraph regarding the author’s note; this doesn’t detract from the story, but parents may wish to know about it.

Bottom Line: A thoughtful introduction to the story of a community rallying around their library.

Recommended Reading at Redeemed Reader

• Review: Love in the Library is another nonfiction picture book set in a library setting (and a good story!).
• Review: Jella Lepman and Her Library of Dreams, a story about a woman who championed a library for children’s books.
• Booklist: Children of Israel: Jewish Life, History, and Culture

We are participants in the Amazon LLC affiliate program; purchases you make through affiliate links like the one below may earn us a commission. Read more here.

You can purchase The Keeper of Stories on Amazon.