Hair Like Obama's, Hands Like Lebron's: A Picture Book

by Carole Boston Weatherford, Savanna Durr (Illustrator)

Overview

From Colin Kaepernick to Martin Luther King, Jr. to Benjamin Crump, Hair Like Obama's, Hands Like Lebron's is a picture book celebration of Black history and excellence from New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated bySavanna Durr.

I have hair like Obama’s and hands like LeBron’s.
My mind is more magical than “Ice” McDonald’s wands.
My legs, like Michael Jordan’s, shatter records with a leap.
My soul is kissed by Africa—the future’s mine to keep.

Inspired by the famous White House photograph of five-year-old Jacob Philadelphia touching then-president Barack Obama’s hair, Weatherford’s powerful text—illuminated by Savanna Durr’s warm, jewel-toned art—is an ode to all the things that make Black and brown kids beautiful. Young readers will learn about many inspiring figures in Black history up to the present day, gaining confidence in their abilities and their cultural legacy as they learn. The back matter includes an author’s note and biographies of each of the featured figures: Guion Bluford, Usain “Lightning” Bolt, “Bootsy” Collins, John Coltrane, Benjamin Crump, LeBron James, Lonnie Johnson, Michael Jordan, Colin Kaepernick, Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Elijah McCoy, Kenrick “Ice” McDonald, Barack Obama, Colin Powell, and Tommie Smith.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798887071824
Publisher:	Abrams Appleseed
Publication date:	10/01/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	17 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Carole Boston Weatherford writes the diverse books she lacked as a child. She is a New York Times bestselling author and critic, and a two-time NAACP Image Award winner. Since her 1995 debut, she has authored 70-plus books, including nine Coretta Scott King Award winners, a Newbery Honor winner, and four Caldecott Honor winners: Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre; Freedom in Congo Square; Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement; and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom. She is a professor at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina. Savanna Durr is an illustrator and art teacher based in Richmond, Virginia. She primarily illustrates digitally and loves adding textures and vibrant colors to her work. She has spent her life being inspired by animated movies, cartoons, and children’s books. She focuses on creating representation within her work in the hope that others can look at her art and see themselves.

Editorial Reviews

2024-07-19
Weatherford celebrates the achievements of African American men, from Martin Luther King Jr. to Bootsy Collins.

The inspiration for this poetic offering began back in 2009, when 5-year-old Jacob Philadelphia met with then-president Barack Obama in the Oval Office. “I want to know if your hair is like mine,” said Jacob, right before President Obama bowed to allow him to touch his head—an image immortalized by photojournalist Pete Souza. An illustrated depiction of that moment appears in the book, along with scenes of other young Black children finding inspiration in a variety of role models. “I have hair like Obama’s,” the narrator tells us, “and hands like LeBron’s.” References to other recognizable and potentially lesser-known Black male inventors, athletes, artists, civic leaders, and more are threaded throughout. Writing in verse, Weatherford cleverly riffs on her subjects’ character traits and contributions, welcoming a new generation of readers to discover more about their legacies: “I think up inventions / just like the real McCoy.” “My voice is my instrument / like Trane’s sax and Bootsy’s bass.” (Backmatter explains that Weatherford is referring to engineer Elijah McCoy, jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, and funk musician Bootsy Collins.) Durr’s digital, animation-influenced illustrations brim with color as children race Usain Bolt, daydream about following in astronaut Guion Bluford’s footsteps, and more.

A poetic example of Black male excellence to inspire an emerging generation of readers. (author’s note)(Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews