Briana Mukodiri Uchendu – illustratör

Follow one girl's journey to discover the joy and history of step dancing- an ode to sisterhood and a strong mother-daughter bond, perfect for fans of Bunheads.What does sisterhood sound like? STOMP, CLAP! How does pride move? FLIP, FLAP! How do we uphold tradition? GO HARD, SNAP BACK! SOUL STEP!Written by the mother-daughter duo Jewell Parker Rhodes and Kelly McWilliams, and gorgeously illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu, Soul Step is a loving ode to sisterhood and the tradition of stepping that lets women and girls, and people of all backgrounds, step loud and be proud.

In a companion to Build a House, Rhiannon Giddens – Grammy Award winner and co-founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops – gives wing to a moving tale of grace and transcendence, with acclaimed artist Briana Mukodiri Uchendu.At a sparrow’s urging, a young girl feels a mysterious trembling in her arms, a lightness in her feet, a longing to be free. Her mother tells her that her Granny Liza experienced the same, as did many of their people before her. Perhaps it’s time, Mama says, to slip the bonds of earth and join the journey started long ago? To hold each other tight and rise? Drawing on song lyrics, which in turn draw on a heritage of African folklore, this incantatory dialogue between a mother and daughter paired with startlingly beautiful illustrations celebrates love, resilience and the spiritual power of the “old-time ways” – tradition and shared cultural memory – to sustain and uplift.

Joy hums from this “glorious…beautifully styled” (Booklist, starred review) picture book celebration of the richness of the African heritage behind braids, locs, cornrows, and all manner of crowning glory, from ancient times to present day—perfect for fans of Sulwe and We Are the Ship.With the lushest of language, a young girl getting her hair styled tells an overall history of African hair. Beads. Feathers. Cowries. Threads of gold. Ivory. Charcoal. Pearls. Bantu knots. Cornrows. Goddess Braids. Maps. Seeds. Afros. Clay. Dreadlocks. Woven with the greatest care. Across different African cultures. Everything rich with meaning. - Centuries of meaning! Hair! It’s woven with history.- It is living art—can be adorned with intricate rings, mother of pearl, feathers.- It is identity.- It shapes community.- It can speak to age, wealth, or power.- It provided escape maps for the enslaved to follow when written word was forbidden. Woven with seeds, pearls, gold, it provided a way to survive after escape.- And to many, it contains the soul. For centuries, people of African descent have faced prejudice and judgment over their hair. Backlash for their styles. Dictated to as to what styles are “acceptable”. But author Sope Martins boldly, exquisitely, subverts this all in her celebration of African hair and its complicated, powerful heritage.