Day after day, Nemy is forced to sow seeds in the sugarcane plantation, until one night, she follows a woman called Big Mother to a hidden shack. There, she finds a group of women braiding each other’s hair. But these are no ordinary braids. Hidden in each elaborate pattern is a secret – a message signalling their intent to flee and a map to guide them in their escape. Will the paths these courageous women weave guide Nemy to a new home where she can be free? A picture book of love, liberation and legacy inspired by the true story of enslaved African women in Colombia braiding maps to freedom.
Amnesty International endorses this book as it vividly unfolds the story of an enslaved child who finds friendship, solidarity, and an escape to freedom.
Featured in The New York Times
Oprah Daily’s Best Kids Books on Race and Racism
Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards Finalist 2025
A Just Imagine Book Breeze Pick for October
Children’s Book Council’s Hot Off The Press in September 2024
Bookstagang Awards, Best Picture Books of 2024
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Monique is a Black author of Jamaican descent. Her book When Mama Braids My Hair was nominated for the Ezra Jack Keats Award. She has an extensive background in education and fine arts coupled with a passion for teaching and preserving Black history and culture. She lives in New York City.
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Oboh is a Black digital illustrator who has been passionate about art since he was seven years old. In 2021, his work was selected for the American Illustration 40th Anniversary Annual. He lives and works in Lagos, Nigeria.
“Duncan’s heartfelt lines break like poetry as secret messages are embedded in Nemy’s cornrows. Moses’ digitally rendered art — in night tones lit up at times by fiery yellows or brightly bruised purples and blues — regenerates pain as a glow that leads Nemy to “a new dawn.” On the penultimate two-page spread, Nemy’s braided hair and the winding terrain of her escape route mirror each other in an illustration that feels both haunted and hopeful. Nemy’s story leaves us to consider what a miracle it is that a body can grow the strands of her own survival, and what ingenuity it takes to comb and style a path to freedom.”
- The New York Times
“Duncan’s words and Moses’s illustrations work together in a deeply original harmony, as in a two-page spread that captures the zigzagging rainforest traveled by enslaved people that matches the pattern braided into the back of Nemy’s hair perfectly. This book offers a fascinating glimpse into a real-life secret code that guided many toward freedom during this dark chapter in history.”
- Oprah Daily
“A show-stopper of a picture book. The combination of a fantastic storyline, based on historical facts, and wonderful illustrations has created a book that simply has to be read. Put simply, this book should be in every school library!”
- Spy Readers
“A poignant tale of courage and resistance and of long-standing cultural traditions. Quietly tinged with hope, Duncan's narrative demonstrates how those in bondage used skills passed down over generations to find the liberty they desired. Moses’ digitally rendered art depicts intricate braid patterns; his dramatic use of color during the escape scene heightens the drama, bathing characters in deep blues as they make their way to freedom."
– Kirkus Reviews
“A captivating tale of struggle, female empowerment, and redemption that will leave you awestruck.”
- Leo Boix, poet and author
“This is an engrossing and fascinating story of bravery, of courage and love. It has so many layers to share with younger readers, not least of which are all the hair styles and braids on the end pages.”
– Armadillo
“Freedom Braids pays loving homage to an imagined child’s journey, embodying the experiences of countless people who endured the horrors of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and honoring traditions forged in community.”
—Uma Krishnaswami, author of Threads of Peace: How Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Changed the World
“A masterpiece in both storytelling and illustration. Takes you on a soul-deep journey of Black liberation.“
– Little Owl Bookshelf
“As picture books go this is a stunning book to behold. An absolute must for Black History Month and for all year round. This book is essential for Primary Schools and Children’s sections in public libraries 📚, and parents looking to share Black history with young readers.”
– The Kids Book Curator
“The simplicity of the storytelling fits the gravity of the conditions these enslaved people were subjected to, their courage and resourcefulness, and tells movingly of Nemy’s longing for her family. Matching this simple dignity, the muted shades of Oboh Moses’ artwork, the details of daily life and the women’s quiet subversion, with a burst of sunrise as they reach a place of freedom, adds depth to this story of resilience. Readers from 6 or 7 years upwards will be fascinated by a glimpse into an extraordinary secret of history.”
- Just Imagine
“Vasco’s words and Palomino’s dazzling illustrations, full of movement and color, create a story of blooming. Girls become women; letters become words; a pueblo becomes literate. It’s a powerful read for parents and children whose upbringings are radically different.”
- The New York Times