Description

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Tenderly illustrated by Alleanna Harris, Adiba Nelson's debut picture book Oshún and Me is a heartwarming ode to family, identity, and the beauty of braided hair. Also available in Spanish!

It’s Sunday, and that means it’s Hair Day! As Mami weaves gold and cowrie shells into Yadira’s hair, she tells her the story of the goddess Oshún, showing Yadi how her Afro Latin heritage is lovingly tucked into each braid and shell.

The next day, Yadi arrives for her first day at a new school. She's nervous about making friends, but with her beautiful braids, the click-clack of the cowrie shells, and a little guidance from Oshún, she finds she has everything she needs to be her best, most authentic self.

A letter from the author and visual examples of different kinds of braided hairstyles are included in the back of the book.

About the Author

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Adiba Nelson is the author of Oshún & Me, Hazel's Best Day, and Ain’t That A Mother, the memoir that Essence, Bustle, and Shondaland all hailed as a "must read," and subject of the Emmy winning documentary, The Full Nelson. She is also a retired performer, disability rights advocate/activist, freelance journalist and very tired mom! In 2013 she wrote and self-published her first children’s book, Meet ClaraBelle Blue, after not being able to find a children’s book that adequately and appropriately represented her daughter (disabled, Black). Since then Adiba has led numerous workshops and given keynote addresses around the country for parents, educators and education professionals and paraprofessionals, focusing on DEIA from a disability perspective. In 2017, Adiba delivered her first TEDx talk (Skating Downhill: The Art of Claiming Your Life) to a sold-out crowd, and has since joined the NPR affiliate Arizona Public Media as a regular contributor on Arizona Spotlight, spoken at the Smithsonian Institute National Museum of African American History and Culture, and led a memoir master class in sunny San Juan, Puerto Rico, at the request of the poet dubbed the "Maya Angelou of the Millennial Generation," Azure Antoinette.

Alleanna Harris has been drawing for as long as she can remember. As a little kid, she would draw on every page of her mom’s legal pads, her notebooks at school, and on the programs at church. She graduated from the University of the Arts with a BFA in animation with honors, and it was during this time she realized her love for illustration. Alleanna finds inspiration in the beauty of everyday things. She seeks to create images that are immersive, rich in color, and have a sense of warmth. She lives in New Jersey, and is the illustrator of multiple books for children, including Oshun & Me and All the Greatness in You.