Cornrows - by Camille Yarbrough

About the Book

As Mama and Great-Grammaw skillfully weave and braid their children's hair into the intricate cornrow patterns of Africa, they retell fascinating tales of ancestral life in Africa and praise contemporary African American activists.

Book Synopsis

A Coretta Scott King Award Winner for Illustration
A Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies

Every design has a name and means something in the powerful past and present richness of the Black tradition. Mama's and Great-Grammaw's gentle fingers weave the design, and their lulling voices weave the tale, as they braid their children's hair into the striking cornrow patterns of Africa.

"Camille Yarbrough captures the warmth of family affection and the pride of our rich heritage in a story that's superbly illustrated by Carole Byard." --Essence

"Camille Yarbrough is a poet, griot and storyteller who has crafted a special, rhythmic and moving story for you and yours. . . . The illustrations by Carole Byard dignify and give all due respect to the story." --Council on Interracial Books for Children

Review Quotes

A Coretta Scott King Award Winner for Illustration
A Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies

"A welcome reissue of a classic of early African American picture books. . . . Powerful black-and-white illustrations capture everything from the horrors of the Middle Passage to the sophistication of ancient Yoruba culture to the warmth of Sister's family life." --The Horn Book

"A jubilant celebration of black culture . . . with absolutely marvelous drawings." --Publishers Weekly

"It's a happy, sad story full of pride and great people in our history." --Ebony Junior

"As the children sit to have their hair braided, they hear the regal history of cornrowing. Gammaw and Mama describe it as ancient and symbolic." --Booklist

"Camille Yarbrough captures the warmth of family affection and the pride of our rich heritage in a story that's superbly illustrated by Carole Byard." --Essence

"Camille Yarbrough is a poet, griot and storyteller who has crafted a special, rhythmic and moving story for you and yours. . . . The illustrations by Carole Byard dignify and give all due respect to the story." --Council on Interracial Books for Children

About the Author

Camille Yarbrough is an award-winning performance artist, author, and cultural activist. As an extension of her creative and activist self, Yarbrough turned to writing in the 1970's. Her published works have appeared in The New York Times, The Black Collegian Magazine, and The Journal of African Civilization. In 1979 Cornrows, the award-winning, groundbreaking family book that Essence magazine called "a gem," was published and later three more books followed: The Shimmershine Queens, The Little Tree Growing in the Shade, and Tamika and the Wisdom Rings.