Hair Like Obama's, Hands Like Lebron's A Picture Book

From Colin Kaepernick to Martin Luther King, Jr. to Benjamin Crump, Hair Like Obama's, Hands Like Lebron's is a picture book celebration of Black history and excellence from New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated bySavanna Durr.

I have hair like Obama’s and hands like LeBron’s.
My mind is more magical than “Ice” McDonald’s wands.
My legs, like Michael Jordan’s, shatter records with a leap.
My soul is kissed by Africa—the future’s mine to keep.

Inspired by the famous White House photograph of five-year-old Jacob Philadelphia touching then-president Barack Obama’s hair, Weatherford’s powerful text—illuminated by Savanna Durr’s warm, jewel-toned art—is an ode to all the things that make Black and brown kids beautiful. Young readers will learn about many inspiring figures in Black history up to the present day, gaining confidence in their abilities and their cultural legacy as they learn. The back matter includes an author’s note and biographies of each of the featured figures: Guion Bluford, Usain “Lightning” Bolt, “Bootsy” Collins, John Coltrane, Benjamin Crump, LeBron James, Lonnie Johnson, Michael Jordan, Colin Kaepernick, Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Elijah McCoy, Kenrick “Ice” McDonald, Barack Obama, Colin Powell, and Tommie Smith.

Carole Boston Weatherford writes the diverse books she lacked as a child. She is a New York Times bestselling author and critic, and a two-time NAACP Image Award winner. Since her 1995 debut, she has authored 70-plus books, including nine Coretta Scott King Award winners, a Newbery Honor winner, and four Caldecott Honor winners: Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre; Freedom in Congo Square; Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement; and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom. She is a professor at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina. Savanna Durr is an illustrator and art teacher based in Richmond, Virginia. She primarily illustrates digitally and loves adding textures and vibrant colors to her work. She has spent her life being inspired by animated movies, cartoons, and children’s books. She focuses on creating representation within her work in the hope that others can look at her art and see themselves.