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Hairstory

Name: Hairstory
Brand: Arotahi Agency
SKU: 9781665938105
Price: 34.99 NZD
Availability: InStock

By Sope Martins

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4.5

( 50 ratings, 19 reviews)

Brief Description

Two starred reviews! Joy hums from this "glorious…beautifully styled" (Booklist, starred review) picture book celebration of the richness of the African heritage behind braids, locs, cornrows, and all manner of crowning glory, from ancient times to present day—perfect for fans of Sulwe and We Are the... Read More

Format: Hardback

$34⁹⁹

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Releases 30^th June 2026 (Approx. Date) Pre-order "Hairstory" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

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Hairstory

$34⁹⁹

An exquisite celebration of the richness of the African heritage behind braids, locs, cornrows and all manner of "crowning glory", from ancient times to present day.

Description

Two starred reviews!

Joy hums from this "glorious…beautifully styled" (Booklist, starred review) picture book celebration of the richness of the African heritage behind braids, locs, cornrows, and all manner of crowning glory, from ancient times to present day—perfect for fans of Sulwe and We Are the Ship.

With the lushest of language, a young girl getting her hair styled tells an overall history of African hair. Beads. Feathers. Cowries. Threads of gold. Ivory. Charcoal. Pearls. Bantu knots. Cornrows. Goddess Braids. Maps. Seeds. Afros. Clay. Dreadlocks. Woven with the greatest care. Across different African cultures. Everything rich with meaning.

- Centuries of meaning! Hair! It’s woven with history.

- It is living art—can be adorned with intricate rings, mother of pearl, feathers.

- It is identity.

- It shapes community.

- It can speak to age, wealth, or power.

- It provided escape maps for the enslaved to follow when written word was forbidden. Woven with seeds, pearls, gold, it provided a way to survive after escape.

- And to many, it contains the soul.

For centuries, people of African descent have faced prejudice and judgment over their hair. Backlash for their styles. Dictated to as to what styles are “acceptable”. But author Sope Martins boldly, exquisitely, subverts this all in her celebration of African hair and its complicated, powerful heritage.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781665938105

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 15 January 2026

Country: United States

Imprint: Atheneum

Illustration: f-c jkt (spfx: pearlized stock; separate case cvr) + int.; digital

Contributors:

Illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu

Audience: Children

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 13.0mm

Width: 254.0mm

Height: 254.0mm

Weight: 492g

Pages: 48

Collections

Children's Books Children's Picture Books Children’s, Teenage and Educational Kids & YA Pre-orders Pre-order Books Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date Sope Martins

About the Author

Sope Martins is a Nigerian author of numerous children’s books including The African Princess, Teju’s Shadow, and The Greatest Animal in the Jungle. She is also a radio broadcaster. Hairstory is her picture book debut in the United States.

Briana Mukodiri Uchendu, recent recipient of the John Steptoe New Talent Award, is an illustrator, visual development artist, and first-generation Nigerian American. She is the illustrator of multiple picture books including The Talk by Alicia D. Williams, which received a Coretta Scott King Author Honor. Her work is inspired by her interests in folklore, film, and animation and her passion to highlight voices that usually go unheard.