Hair Story

  • Interest Level: Kindergarten - Grade 3
  • Reading Level: Grade 2

With rhythmic, rhyming verse, this picture book follows two girls—one non-Black Puerto Rican, one Black—as they discover the stories their hair can tell.

Preciosa has hair that won’t stay straight, won’t be confined. Rudine’s hair resists rollers, flat irons, and rules.

Together, the girls play hair salon! They take inspiration from their moms, their neighbors, their ancestors, and cultural icons. They discover that their hair holds roots of the past and threads of the future.

With rhythmic, rhyming verse and vibrant collage art, author NoNieqa Ramos and illustrator Keisha Morris follow two girls as they discover the stories hair can tell.

Format Your Price Add
978-1-5415-7916-3
$13.49
978-1-7284-3236-6
$22.99
978-1-7284-7618-6
$34.99
Available at all major wholesalers and distributors. Save 25% off list price on hardcovers and ebooks when you buy direct! Digital purchases will be accessed on Lerner Digital Bookshelf. An account will be created for you after purchase.
Interest Level Kindergarten - Grade 3
Reading Level Grade 2
Genre Picture Books
Category Diverse Books: Celebrating Differences , Diverse Books: #OwnVoices, Diverse Books: Race & Ethnicity, Diversity, SEL: A Self-Awareness, Social Emotional Learning
Copyright 2021
Publisher Lerner Publishing Group
Imprint Carolrhoda Books ®
Language English
Number of Pages 32
Publication Date 2021-09-07
Text Type Poetry
BISACS JUV011030, JUV074000, JUV039140
Dewey [E]
Dimensions 9.75 x 9.75
Lexile 320
Guided Reading Level P
Features Awards, Original artwork, Reviewed, and Teaching Guides

Author: NoNieqa Ramos

Raised in the Boogie Down Bronx, NoNieqa Ramos is an educator and literary activist. Their work includes the young adult novels The Disturbed Girl’s Dictionary and The Truth Is, as well as the picture book Hair Story. They believe Halloween is a lifestyle, not a holiday. If you’re in Virginia, you might catch NoNieqa getting motorcycle lessons from their soulmate Michael or going indie bookstore hopping with their preciosos Jandi and Langston. Connect with their works on www.nonieqaramos.com or on the Latinx collective www.lasmusasbooks.com.

Illustrator: Keisha Morris

Keisha Morris is a freelance writer and illustrator based in Maryland. She loves creating characters whose personalities jump off the page. She earned her BFA in Illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and mentored with illustrators such as Sean Qualls, Selina Alko and Dan Santat. When she is not drawing, she loves spending time with her wife, daughter, and two crazy cats Elphie and Ollie!

Narrator: Victoria Rodriguez

Lerner eSource™ offers free digital teaching and learning resources, including Common Core State Standards (CCSS) teaching guides. These guides, created by classroom teachers, offer short lessons and writing exercises that give students specific instruction and practice using Common Core skills and strategies. Lerner eSource also provides additional resources including online activities, downloadable/printable graphic organizers, and additional educational materials that would also support Common Core instruction. Download, share, pin, print, and save as many of these free resources as you like!

Hair Story

With rhythmic, rhyming verse, this picture book follows two girls—one non-Black Puerto Rican, one Black—as they discover the stories their hair can tell. Preciosa has hair that won’t stay straight, won’t be confined. Rudine’s hair resists rollers, flat irons, and View available downloads →

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Awards

  • Cybils Nominee, Nominated, 2021

Reviews

Lorena Germán

“This gorgeous book is about more than hair. Hair becomes the vehicle for a conversation about identity, beauty standards, bias, relationships, self-love, and more. Ramos has created a picture book that touches upon identity as it is intertwined with other elements of life, all by celebrating hair types and styles.” ―Lorena Germán, Co-Founder of the Multicultural Classroom, as well as Co-Founder of #DisruptTexts, and Chair of NCTE’s Committee Against Racism and Bias in the Teaching of English.

School Library Journal

“A lovely lesson in loving and having pride in oneself, perfect for fans of Matthew Cherry’s Hair Love and for any shelf seeded with positive messaging.”—School Library Journal