My Afro: Twin Best Friends

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One day at school, a kid made fun of my afro and said that it made me look like a lion,” Tiana revealed in an interview with Good Morning America.

She added that the “best” comments she has received about her book are from children, with the “best one of all” being from a girl who said Nzingha looked like her.I am really proud of myself, and it has confirmed the assurance my mom gave me that bullying is never about me but the bully trying to express their dissatisfaction in seeing someone different and trying to make others feel small,” the young author shares. “I am happy I have managed to not feel small but also helped other girls have the courage of wearing their Afro hair in all shapes and styles without feeling embarrassed about their hair or caring what people say. I feel like I have been empowered and also empowered others.” A powerful book to help children and adults have meaningful discussions about race and anti-racism. Most importantly, the book empowers children to be the best versions of themselves; to have self-love, self-esteem and self-worth, irrespective of their skin colour. For children aged four and above. I thought, I love mentoring and literature, so why not merge the two together and then Conscious Dreams Publishing was born,” Ms Blechner said of the 2016 launch.

The author has published three children’s books so far, which she was inspired to write after the death of her father, Cornelius Yearwood, aged 78. Dorothy, Tiana’s mother, read the narrative and was so moved by it that she decided to send Tiana’s writing to Conscious Dreams Publishing. Then, Tiana’s tale was released, making her a novelist at 7. Tiana has always had a passion for writing and reading. When she first began writing complete sentences, she was just 4 years old. She also considered writing about it when she was only six years old and experienced bullying because of her hair. I’ve had a lot of comments on social media and also little girls all around the world have been showing pictures of my book saying that they love it and feel empowered to wear their afro hair to school, so that makes me really happy,” she added.

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With help from the publishing company, the book sold more than 700 copies, which Tiana said, ‘meant a lot to me’, and she has plans to publish more. Hello, my name is Tiana-Rose and this is my first book. I am seven years old. I love writing, drawing and dancing. At the age of five, I started having writing classes with my mum who edited and guided me through writing short stories. I’d love to publish many more books. Although I love science and think I’ll be a scientist, being an author is my first passion."

While in year one, Tiana took part in a writing programme called Mrs Wordsmith which gave her the confidence to start writing her own “little books”. Daniella Blechner, 42, from West Norwood, South London, the founder of Conscious Dreams Publishing, said she started the project as a "labour of love" while working full-time as a teacher by connecting writers to editors, typesetters and illustrators, and mentoring them through the process of publishing. Tiana Akoh-Arrey, from south-east London, wrote her first book at the age of seven, called My Afro: Twin Best Friends, which was published in December 2021 and is about her and her best friend who had the same type of hair as her, “while everyone else has straight, silky or curly hair”.

Children get self-assurance and a chance for self-reflection and validation when they see characters who look like themselves," explains the 9 year-old author. "As an added bonus, seeing themselves reflected in these characters might help kids see a world free of prejudice and discrimination.”