There’s nothing like a Black girl and her braids. Philadelphia-based actor, poet, and now author Jaylene Clark Owens’ new children’s book, A Black Girl and Her Braids, centers that magic.

Published by Penguin Random House and released on Thursday, the book is a love letter to Black girls and their braids, celebrating our beauty, culture and resilience, based on her poem of the same name.

Following the release, Blavity spoke with Owens about the book and what’s to come.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jaylene Clark Owens (@jayleneclarkowens)

So first and foremost, talk to me about your journey. I know that you’re a working and auditioning actor, and you also have a background in poetry.

Jaylene Clark Owens: Yes. I’m still doing those things. I will admit, 2025 was so slow in terms of acting. I thank God that I do have another skill as a poet and a writer. Listen, poetry carried me last year, and it’s still carrying me because this book is an adaptation of my original poem. I’m still doing all those things, but I just added author to my name.

I know that the original concept, as you mentioned, was derived from a poem that you wrote and went viral. What made you decide to turn it into a full children’s book?

JCO: A couple of reasons. One, I had actually had an idea for a different book that was directly inspired by my goddaughter. And so I had pitched that, trying to get a literary agent, and nothing wound up happening with that particular story, but through that, I found the person who would then become my agent. Her name is Jania, and we actually went to middle school and high school together. And so once she decided to represent me, she said maybe something for my initial book idea would come in a year. And then a year came, and nothing really happened with that. 

But then, when I saw how many people were sharing videos of their little Black girls dancing to my poem online, I was like, ‘Maybe I will do a children’s book adapting this poem.’ Because clearly, I’m seeing it already resonating with so many Black women and girls. And I still wanted to do something for my goddaughter and her sister, who is my niece. I was like, ‘This would be perfect. This would satisfy all my desires to create something for them.’ And then I also wanted to speak to all the little girls who I see online dancing to the poem.

How did you go about choosing the illustrator?

JCO: I am learning in real time about traditional publishing, and it seems that, unless you are an illustrator or unless you personally know illustrators, your publishing house will send you people. And so, I was sent maybe two or three different illustrators. And you look at their work, and Brittany Bond’s work really resonated with me. I loved how she drew braids. That was the most important thing. I was like, ‘Whoever is doing this, they have to be able to draw detailed braids.’ And she could. I was like, ‘Alright, I’m gonna go with her.’ And then I gave her, for every spread, for each page, I would say, ‘Here’s my vision.’ And she truly went above and beyond, bringing my words to life. She’s phenomenal.

The images in the book are eye-catching, and they’re also very powerful, coinciding with what’s happening on a corporate level, on an educational level for Black and brown girls in school, with references to the Crown Act and beyond. How involved were you in the illustration process? Was it a collaboration, or did you allow her to take the lead on that?

JCO: Yeah, it’s definitely a collaboration. Literally each page, the publisher and the design team asked me to go through and say what I wanted on each page. So for one of the first spreads, when the little girl is in her bedroom, I’m like, ‘OK, she’s gonna be in her bedroom, but make sure there is a bonnet on the bed because that is part of our culture, and I want it to be authentic.’ So, little details like that, I would just express them to Brittany, and she would implement them. She would take a basic concept of what I wanted to see on the page.

I told her I wanted to see our little girl at a protest or something, and I wanted her to represent the Crown Act, and then Brittany took that and just went with it. So we went through many iterations, maybe like four or five different drafts, but each time I gave feedback, and she just executed so well.

Getting back to the book, what inspired the initial poem? Was it a specific instance, or was it a series of things that we deal with as Black women when it comes to our hair?

JCO: It was a specific instance that I think is supported by just my history of wearing braids, but in July of 2021, I went to visit my best friend in LA, and I got medium knotless braids, and I loved those braids so much. I felt so good. I felt so beautiful. And it was on that trip that I was like, ‘Being a Black girl in her braids is really a special feeling, and I wanna write about this.’ And so I was at my friend’s house, and I recorded the first few lines of the little song on my iPhone, and then I said, ‘When I get home, I will write the poem,’ and that’s what happened.

The packaging is great. Opening it was such a joy for my daughter. It was like Christmas. It was such an experience. How did that come about?

JCO: You have a special PR box. But I appreciate that because I put that together myself. I found the company. I designed it. I was like, ‘Alright, I have these images from Brittany. I’m gonna figure out how to put them on this box.’ And that’s what I did. So, thank you because I’m proud of myself with that one.

Were you ever worried about running into pushback with the marketing because the book is so niche?

JCO: It certainly was a thought. I was thinking about all the things. In 2026, within this current state of affairs, I did question whether there would be pushback. I thought, ‘Is there going to be pushback because it’s talking about a Black girl and her braids?’ I thought maybe people would question it. I had to push that to the side. And the reality is that I have been met with nothing but love, honestly. I just focus on the joy of this book because that’s what it is. And if you’re not a Black girl, or you don’t have braids, it can still serve as an educational tool. And I hope that it inspires people to just love who they are and their hair. But thus far, with all the press that I’ve been doing, it has just all been very celebratory. There hasn’t been any pushback. It’s been great.

You talked about having a concept for a different book that your goddaughter inspired, but you ended up coming up with this. Outside of your goddaughter, was there a reason you chose to go the children’s book route?

JCO: I think writing for my goddaughter, Armani, was my inspiration. I have to check with her mom, but I believe something happened when she was talking about her hair, and I think she may have wanted to change it. This was when she was younger. I think maybe she wanted to have straight hair or something like that, just from seeing stuff in the media and things. And I was like, ‘No, we need to change this way of thinking.’ I am already a poet. I know that I have experience using my words to motivate. So I was like, if I can use my talent to pour into my goddaughter and girls like her, then I want to do that. So I think that was initially my goal, and that’s what motivated me.

And then once I saw the success of the poem and saw how many Black girls were using the poem online, I figured a lot of children’s books rhyme, and I’m already a poet. So, I think the marriage came naturally. 

Eventually, I would love to write a full-length novel. I would love to write a novel in verse. I think that would be super, super cool. But for right now, because I have these young people in my life, a lot of my friends have kids, and it brings me so much joy to write something important to them.

Your poem, and now book, as you mentioned, has been shared by many, including dozens of celebrities who’ve shared it with their children and their followers. How did it make you feel when it gained such traction?

JCO: It was very surprising. Nothing like that to that extent had happened with my work before. People have shared my videos, but this was different because people were using my words. 

When Kandi Burruss shared my work, that was top-tier. She has written so many songs that are Grammy Award-winning. And when she shared it, this was the time when her “Legs, Hips, Body” song went viral. It was very special.

I always tell the story about Tia Mowry. I literally used to write about her and Tamera as my heroes in elementary school. Every single time they asked us to write an essay about heroes, I would write about them. So it’s just very full circle that now, not only has Tia used the poem, but her hair company is one of the sponsors for the book launch. They’re sponsoring four of the stops, and they’re doing a lot of great things for this book, and I’m thrilled. I’m over the moon.

What do you think is next for the book? I see a potential animated series. What are your hopes for this?

JCO: An animated series would be absolutely incredible. I love to dream big. I can see a series. I can see a film. I can also see more books. I already have the EP that has a Black girl in her braids, locks, fro, twists, switch up, so the content is there for me to pull from for future books. But in the immediate future, what’s next for it is going into schools. I have some school visits set up, and I am looking to do more of them and just be with the children, being among the children, reading to them, that is in the immediate future. I can’t wait.

The post Author Jaylene Clark Owens’ ‘A Black Girl and Her Braids’ Hopes To Change the Way Young Girls View Themselves appeared first on Blavity.



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