When I Wrap My Hair

by Shauntay Grant, Jenin Mohammed (Illustrator)

Overview

In the vein of I Am Enough and Hold Them Close, this inspiring and beautiful picture book celebrates how hair wrapping ties together past and present.

When I wrap,

my roots run deep.

As deep as an African marketplace

or a city sidewalk

or the stories between them.

With lyrical text by acclaimed author Shauntay Grant and vibrant illustrations by Jenin Mohammed, When I Wrap My Hair is both an act of joyful recognition and a demonstration of how knowledge is passed through generations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063093911
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/02/2024
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	265,536
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Shauntay Grant is an author, poet, playwright, and multidisciplinary artist. She holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia and is an associate professor of creative writing at Dalhousie University. A former poet laureate for the city of Halifax, her honors include a Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, a Joseph S. Stauffer Prize, and a Poet of Honour prize from the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word. Learn more about her at shauntaygrant.com.

Jenin Mohammed, winner of the 2020 Summer Spectacular Illustration Grand Prize, is the illustrator of the picture books Naming Ceremony, Song in the City, Super Mom, and All the Places We Call Home. She also draws the slice-of-life comic Knot Write Now. She lives in Florida. You can find her online at jeninmohammed.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 12/18/2023

As a brown-skinned child stands in a fabric-filled store at the start of this artfully created picture book, an adult wearing a headwrap prepares to fold a yellow length around the child’s natural hair: “When I wrap my hair, I feel new, like a golden sunrise, sprinkling light across the clouds.” Next, pages show the child having their hair wrapped while sitting alongside a dot-pattered river abutted by plants and dense blades of grass: as “a ribbon of color washes over me... the past comes to carry me through ancient rivers that turn and tumble.” Art that evokes bright, flowing textiles also envisions Black elders as part of the changing fabric design, wearing robes and hair coverings of various types (“When I wrap, my roots run deep”). Earnest, celebratory text from Grant (My Fade Is Fresh) and flowing, intricately worked illustrations by Mohammed (Naming Ceremony), which suggest the feel of batik and tie-dye, draw connections between the child, their hair wrapped in the present, and “a thousand grandmothers all around me” who, crucially, “tell me I am beautiful.// They tell me I’m home.” Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette. Erin Murphy Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Christy Tugeau Ewers, CAT Agency. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Artfully created.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Lyrical. This is indeed a book of Black joy.” — Booklist

“This message of positivity and cultural connection is simply written yet strikingly brought to life in images that reflect an everlasting bond to rituals. Enchanting.” — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

12/01/2023

K-Gr 4—Vibrant colors and lyrical prose intermingle to depict the emotions of a young girl as she wraps her hair in the traditional style of her African culture. The colors of sun, sky, earth, and trees surround her, and the connections to an ancient past speak to her as "I feel a thousand grandmothers around me." The colors transport her to the river, the woods, and the marketplace as her mother and grandmother wrap her hair, and the stories of her history weave together in "one beautiful tone." Illustrations by Mohammed shine in this simple reflection of a young girl's experience with her hair. The emotions fairly pulsate from the pages in exquisite color and light as sheer joy. This message of positivity and cultural connection is simply written yet strikingly brought to life in images that reflect an everlasting bond to rituals. VERDICT An enchanting addition to libraries, where cultural connections are key; the artwork will inspire creativity in any classroom.—Carol Connor

School Library Journal

★ 2023-10-21
When a Black child wraps her hair, she feels her deep roots within and around her.

Accompanied by a caregiver, a child with a puffy Afro visits a shop filled with material in vibrant colors and patterns. The shop owner and the child’s caregiver both wear brightly hued headwraps. As the caregiver wraps the child’s hair in various colored fabrics, poetic lines of text convey the young protagonist’s thoughts and emotions: “I feel new, like a golden sunrise,” “I find myself inside an emerald-orange glow,” “I feel a thousand grandmothers around me.” On each spread, African people and landscapes, as well as those from the African diaspora, surround the child, from a marketplace with women selling goods to a city street lined with cars. Various styles of headwraps and dress are featured throughout. The spare lines of verse read like a lovely, layered poem that feels just as fresh and original each time it’s read. The lush illustrations radiate energy; intricate designs that recall marbled paper, batik, tie-dye, and prints will keep little ones entranced through many readings. Wordless opening and closing spreads allow a graceful entry and exit from the tale’s magic. This story of connection to a tradition and style offers a warm hug to those familiar with the practice as well as a glorious introduction for newcomers.

A mesmerizing ode to a practice steeped in meaning. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews