Stella's Stellar Hair

by Yesenia Moises (Author) Yesenia Moises (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

Black girl magic takes the solar system in Stella's Stellar Hair, a celebration of hair, family, and self-love from debut author-illustrator Yesenia Moises!

It's the day of the Big Star Little Gala, and Stella's hair just isn't acting right! What's a girl to do? Simple! Just hop on her hoverboard, visit each of her fabulous aunties across the solar system, and find the perfect hairdo along the way.

Stella's Stellar Hair celebrates the joy of self-empowerment, shows off our solar system, and beautifully illustrates a variety of hairstyles from the African diaspora. Backmatter provides more information about each style and each planet.

Select format:
Hardcover
$19.99

Kirkus

Starred Review
An astronomically creative mix of science, fantasy, and African American culture....An innovative, refreshing, out-of-this-world tale about the incredible versatility of afro hair.

School Library Journal

Stella, a young Afro-Latina, wakes up and is perturbed that her hair is not the way she wants it to be for the "Big Star Little Gala." She runs to her mother to fix her hair but is not pleased; her mother suggests visits to her aunts, who may have different answers. Stella uses her hoverboard to navigate visiting the planets where her aunts live: Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and more. Every aunt has a distinct recommendation, but Stella remains unhappy and questing; she then creates her own hairstyle in a combination of all the suggestions. This joyful fantasy is more about persistence and individuality than it is about hair, and young readers will love the trip through the solar system. The back matter explains the connection between the hairstyles and the planets, in a fanciful blending of facts and speculation. VERDICT This journey has grace, whimsy, and panache, tied up by an explosive array of colors and textures.—Annmarie Braithwaite, New York P.L.

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

A Parents Magazine's Best Childrens Books of 2021

Yesenia Moises
Yesenia Moises is an Afro-Latina illustrator and designer with a specialty in product design. Her work proudly portrays people of diverse backgrounds playing leading roles in fantasy adventures that are brimming with color. Yesenia is the illustrator of Honeysmoke: A Story of Finding Your Color. Stella's Stellar Hair is her first picture book as both author and illustrator.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781250261779
Lexile Measure
600
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Imprint
Publication date
January 05, 2021
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039140 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
JUV011010 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | United States - African-American
JUV011030 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | United States - Hispanic & Latino
JUV053020 - Juvenile Fiction | Science Fiction | Space Exploration
Library of Congress categories
Aunts
Hair
Planets
A Parents Magazine's Best Childrens Books
2021

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