Crowning Glory: A Celebration of Black Hair - by Carole Boston Weatherford (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Cornrows forming complex patterns. Shells and beads on boxy braids. A flowery 'fro that's wash-and-go. A regal pouf that scrapes the sky. Black hair styles embody beauty and loving ritual, culture and community, expression and strength, patience and boundless creativity. Carole Boston Weatherford and Ekua Holmes bring this array of gorgeous hair designs--and the individuals who wear them--to bold and powerful life. Readers curious to know more can find an author's note about the five Black women who made history in 2019 as title holders of five major beauty pageants, as well as a glossary describing some twenty hair styles (from Afro to updo) and other terms related to the glory of Black hair"--

Book Synopsis

Celebrate the beauty of Black hair creations through the rhyming text and vibrant collage art of lauded Coretta Scott King Award winners Carole Boston Weatherford and Ekua Holmes.

Our hair is a lioness, born to be wild.
We pride ourselves on flair and style.

Cornrows forming complex patterns. Shells and beads on boxy braids. A flowery 'fro that's wash and go. A regal pouf that scrapes the sky. Black hair styles embody beauty and loving ritual, culture and community, expression and strength, patience and boundless creativity. Carole Boston Weatherford and Ekua Holmes bring this array of gorgeous hair designs--and the individuals who wear them--to bold and powerful life. Readers curious to know more can find an author's note about the five Black women who made history in 2019 as title holders of five major beauty pageants, as well as a glossary describing some twenty hair styles (from Afro to updo) and other terms related to the glory of Black hair.

Review Quotes

Two acclaimed creators have teamed up for an unqualified and unapologetic ode to Black hair. . . . In rhyming verse, Weatherford pays tribute to the textures, styles, and intricate patterns of Black hair. . . . Accompanying Weatherford's potent words, Holmes' stunning collage illustrations, in a plethora of textures, colors, and patterns, accentuate characters' beautiful brown skin. . . . A breathtakingly gorgeous book that no reader should be without.
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Boston Weatherford pens a lyrical ode dedicated to the CROWN Act movement in this visually stunning celebration of African hair and heritage. . . . With depth and vibrancy, mixed-media collage and acrylic artwork from Holmes leans into portraiture, highlighting hairstyles and textures that emphasize the beauty and diversity of Black hair and culture.
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

In this vibrant, heartfelt ode to the beauty and diversity of Black hair, Weatherford's rhyming text takes young readers on an educational and celebratory journey. . . . Weatherford's lyrical writing is engaging, accessible, and brimming with pride--qualities reflected in Holmes' arresting artwork. . . . The illustrations not only capture the beauty and diversity of the hairstyles but also the joy and confidence of the characters. . . . A treasure trove of culture, education, and empowerment.
--Booklist

Writing in mesmerizing verse, Weatherford sings the praises of cornrows, 'fros, Bantu knots, and more styles, conjuring up images that Holmes captures with her eye-catching digital collage art.
--Kirkus Reviews

A great read for every child, but Black children will find these pages especially gratifying and welcoming.
--School Library Journal

About the Author

Carole Boston Weatherford, a New York Times best-selling author and poet, was named the 2025 Children's Literature Legacy Award winner. She was also named the 2019 Washington Post Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award winner. Her numerous books for children include the Newbery Honor Book Box: Henry Box Brown Mails Himself to Freedom, illustrated by Michele Wood; the Coretta Scott King Author Award winner Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre, illustrated by Floyd Cooper; the Robert F. Sibert Honor Book Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement, illustrated by Ekua Holmes; and the critically acclaimed Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library and Outspoken: Paul Robeson, Ahead of His Time, both illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Carole Boston Weatherford lives in Maryland.

Ekua Holmes is the illustrator of numerous books for children, including Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Carole Boston Weatherford, for which she received several awards, including a Caldecott Honor, the John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award, and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor; Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets by Kwame Alexander, Chris Colderley, and Marjory Wentworth, for which she received the 2018 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award; The Stuff of Stars by Marion Dane Bauer, for which she received the 2019 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award; and the critically acclaimed Hope Is an Arrow: The Story of Lebanese American Poet Kahlil Gibran by Cory McCarthy. Ekua Holmes lives in Boston.