What Gives Selina Alko Hope

More hope. From the kidlit community, to you.  

No matter where you are. No matter what’s going on around you. No matter what is pulling your attention or competing for space in your mind. May these next few minutes offer you rest, peace, and hope.

Hope - February 21, 2026

Selina Alko, illustrator of The Keeper of Stories (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers), written by Caroline Kusin Pritchard, shares what is giving her hope today:   the power of communities to come together.

Listen along:

About the Book:  The Keeper of Stories by Caroline Kusin Pritchard; Illustrated by Selina Alko. Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

A Sydney Taylor Book Award Picture Book Honor

Three starred reviews!

In this “poignant” (Booklist, starred review) and uplifting true story of community, a neighborhood comes together in the wake of a library fire to save the stories within, offering a timely reminder of the essential role libraries and books play in our communities.

A library is a keeper of stories. A keeper of memories. A keeper of hope. But what happens when that keeper is threatened?

When a fire broke out at New York’s Jewish Theological Seminary library in 1966, firefighters raced to the rescue. But by the end of the day, thousands of books had been turned to ashes and the ones that remained were on the brink of ruin. The community was devastated. Would the priceless stories in those waterlogged pages be lost forever? Or could helping hands from every background and corner of the neighborhood come together to become keepers of stories, too?

This powerfully told and lushly illustrated true story is a welcome example of how we all can come together to keep libraries and the books within safe for generations to come.

More:

Visit Selina Alko online at www.selinaalko.com

Learn more about Boyds Mills and their upcoming programs by visiting boydsmills.org. 

Transcript:

Selina: "I guess I still believe in the power of communities to come together, especially in times of crisis. I see this collective energy being activated now all over our country in countless protests of this cruel government.

I'd like to share the message that it's essential to keep hope alive. We must always work towards showing our humanity even the smallest actions like forming a human chain to save water-logged books matter. We are all links in a chain."