Maisha Oso

BIO

MAISHA OSO is the author of My Hair is a Book (Kirkus and School Library Journal Starred Reviews), Before the Ships: The Birth of Black Excellence (Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist Starred Reviews), and Buster the Bully. She writes stories to empower, entertain, and encourage emotional intelligence in young children. A former strategy & analytics professional from New York City, Maisha is currently working in her most challenging role to date: a stay-at-home mom of three tiny humans.

When she’s not writing, you can find her wrangling her kids, binge-watching an unhealthy amount of reality television, or belting out lyrics from the Hamilton soundtrack. After living abroad for several years in Africa, Maisha and her family have recently moved back stateside to Georgia.

 

MY HAIR IS A BOOK

Black hair has been telling stories for generations, from ponytails of ancient tribes and Nubian vibes to corn rows that mapped paths to freedom for enslaved Africans. There have been stories about dance with styles that twist and swoop and the sweetest stories of Cinna-buns and Afro puffs made perfect in the hottest kitchens. In each of these stories, one notion rings true: Black hair is everything—rich with history, a thesaurus, an atlas, and more, telling of truth, trials, and undeniable beauty.

Maisha Oso’s powerful and uplifting text and illustrator London Ladd’s soul-stirring illustrations capture the remarkable nature of Black hair and remind us that whether it be curly, kinky, coarse, or straight, Black hair is beautiful.