My Powerful Hair

In this empowering new children’s book, the traditional significance of hair in Indigenous cultures is explored and celebrated across generations. As a young girl sets out to grow her hair long, she learns about her family history and how hair symbolizes strength, resilience, and an enduring connection to culture and nature. My Powerful Hair (Harry N. Abrams, 2023) is written by bestselling author and Caldecott Medal winner Carole Lindstrom. In her debut as an illustrator, artist Steph Littlebird creates a bold and vibrant world that immerses readers in this inspiring story for all ages.

Carole Lindstrom is a New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of literature for young people, including of the Caldecott-Medal winning We Are Water Protectors. She is Anishinaabe/Métis and an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe. She is honored to write books that allow her to shine a light on her beautiful people and their strength and resilience. Her tribal homelands are in Belcourt, North Dakota, but she was born and raised in Nebraska and currently makes her home in Maryland.

Steph Littlebird is an Indigenous artist, writer, curator and a member of Oregon's Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. Her work combines traditional aesthetics with contemporary materials and subject matter to forge connections between our collective past and imminent future. Littlebird was a Fellow of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Littlebird received national recognition as curator of This IS Kalapuyan Land, an exhibition at the Five Oaks Museum in Portland, which was featured by ArtNews and PBS NewsHour. This is her first picture book.

Organized by Nicole Simpson, Curator of Prints and Drawings
Generous support for bilingual text was provided by Art Bridges Foundation's Access for All program.
This project is supported by PNC Grow Up Great.