The other girls at school wear their hair in neat plaits and cornrows. Kwansima has a great wide afro that her mother has never tamed with a comb, and she is tired of being asked about it. On the morning of school picture day, when she most wants to look like everyone else, her grandmother sits with her and tells her the story of the hair — where it comes from, who carried it before her, and why it grows upward. A tender story about natural hair, heritage, and learning to wear what you were given with pride. For ages 4 to 8.
