Braids are brave. This is the only line on a two page spread to start the story. The illustration shows a woman braiding someone’s hair. We then see it is a mom braiding a boy’s hair. He thinks the tugging and untangling hurts, but he is trying to be brave. While watching his father, he hopes to have long hair like his. The boy is teased at school for his long hair, but the boy decides to be brave and stand up to them. The father then tells how their hair was traditionally worn and the times that he and his family were made to cut their hair because they were not allowed to practice their traditions and culture.

This powerful story between a father and a son explores the intergenerational trauma and the effects of being forced to cut their hair and reclaiming their Native pride. The illustrations depict Native Americans in the present day as well as in the past.