Behind the Book: Yessenia Hernandez

Our week of giveaways is continuing with Yesenia Hernandez, author of Mommy Do My Hair. Yesenia resides in Charlotte,NC (a city close to my heart) and owns SenKay Natural Hair Studio. I always love books that celebrate little girls embracing their natural hair and Mommy Do My Hair does not disappoint. This book is full of hair inspiration!

The story follows a young girl as she requests multiple hair styles for her mom to try on her hair, from an afro to straight with bangs to ponytails. Mommy Do My Hair teaches that our hair is versatile and can look amazing in so many different ways. The illustrations jump off of the page and are sure to have your little one begging for a new style.

Yesenia has not only authored a book, she also has a complementing coloring book, journals, and a guide The Book of Natural Hair Questions and Answers: From a Stylist’s Perspective which answers all of your questions on how to style natural hair. Her Instagram page is full of so many beautiful hairstyles! I was so excited when Yesenia offered to giveaway not just one copy of Mommy Do My Hair and the coloring book, but three copies! To find out how you can be one of the lucky winners, head over to our Instagram and Facebook pages for details.

 

  • What inspired you to become an author?

I have always love to write. When I was in college, I had a professor who loved my stories and encouraged me to continue writing. When I taught grade school, the kids told me I had the coolest stories and wanted to read my stories to their younger siblings. I guess the representation they lacked in school books came through my stories. 

  • What was your favorite book(s) as a child?

The first books I read were the Little House on the Prairie series. The simple living and family closeness made me want to read more. The other series I read were Star Wars and The Lord of The Rings. My mother is a big sci-fi fan and I guess she passed that on to her children.  🙂

  • What was the last non-children’s book you read?

I’m an avid reader so I read all kinds of books. The last book I finished is called The Genie in your Genes by Dawson Church, PhD. I’m fascinated by science. 

  • What impact would you like for your books to leave on the children’s literature community?

I want children to have the choice to think outside the box. I would also love for them to have a choices in the books they choose to read regardless of the color of the characters. When I taught, I found kids who had a choice in what to read were more well-rounded.  I want my books to impact their overall thinking. 

  • Tell us a random fact about yourself that we wouldn’t know from your website or social media pages.

I’m a minimalist. I hate clutter because a cluttered mind is a cluttered life. 

 

Many thanks to Yesenia for being a part of this series! If you’d like to keep up with her work, please visit her Instagram for updates.

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