Black Bird Bookstore

Storytime w/ Sara Alfageeh

Local illustrator and creative director Sara Alfageeh leads an interactive storytime with activities, reading from her latest storybook 'Not Yet: The Story of an Unstoppable Skater', loosely based on the life of five-time Emirati National Champion, Zahra Lari, who was the first figure skater to compete internationally in a hijab.

After watching an ice-skating movie, young Zahra sets her mind to learn how to ice skate even though her family and friends doubt her abilities. After all, she’s too old to learn, the rink is too cold, and figure skaters don’t look like her… not yet at least! Illustrated with Sara Alfageeh’s energetic lines and colors that pop right off the page, we follow Zahra’s story as she glides across the floors of her house in her socks all the way to the ice rink… and as she repeatedly says ''not yet'' to naysayers -- including herself -- who try to convince her to stop pursuing her dream. An inspiring tale of self-empowerment and perseverance as we see the refrain -- not yet -- grow from a low, meek mumble to a mantra and promise filled with determination.

Sara Alfageeh is a Jordanian-American illustrator and creative director in San Francisco. She is passionate about history, teaching, girls with swords, and the spaces where art and identity intersect. Her award-winning debut graphic novel SQUIRE is on shelves everywhere. Sara is currently co-founder of One More Multiverse