Former Varnett student, teacher and tutor Kelechi Onyejiaka returned to her roots, the Southwest campus, to read a children’s book she co-wrote with her friend Nastasha Pollard.
The name of the book is Puffy, a fun story about the relationship between a little girl named Kayla and her talking Afro puff, Puffy.
“Our hope is for young girls to reflect on loving their hair and to get them excited about taking care of it” according to the website about the book and its authors. "Our hope is for young girls to reflect on loving their hair and to get them excited about taking care of it. Puffy is an open invitation for every young reader to connect with and expand their imaginations."
Ms. Onyejiaka who flew in from Philadelphia where she is pursuing a career in dentistry at Temple University, read the book to Early Childhood students and first and second graders during her visit on Monday, March 28. 2022. Along the way, she asked both boys and girls about their hair. Several students, when asked what their hair is saying, said “hi” or hello!”
She also gave tips on how to write a book, starting with coming up with ideas and writing them down.
“The book is written to encourage and inspire the imagination of our little ones,” she said.
Ms. Onyejiaka attended Varnett as a pre-school student in the 1990s and came back to tutor math from 2014-17. She said the self-published book is aimed at readers ages 3-7.
To purchase the book, go to thepuffystory.com
Watch her talk about her book in the interview below.