Braided Roots: The Interweaving of History, Family, and a Father’s Love

In rhythmic text that’s rooted in family history and nature, Chickasaw and Choctaw Freedmen descendant Westbrook begins with an everyday ritual: “Father braids my hair, just like his./ He says more strands are stronger than one/ when pulled together tight.” Proceeding pages detail the duo’s family story, referencing photos of ancestors wearing braids (“a DNA chain/ linking me/ back, back, back... to the ones who walked” from Mississippi to Oklahoma). Goodnight’s digitally finished oil and pencil illustrations effectively juxtapose scenes of the past and the present in a work that conveys how “our hair is our history” and how the father’s braid conveys “love in every twist,” conferring a deep strength that “might just change the world.” Creators’ notes conclude. Ages 4–8. (Nov.)