Meet Hairiette of Harlem!
We believe it’s one thing to give a child a book, it’s another thing entirely to teach them how to read it. Hairiette of Harlem is a story-driven literacy system about the misadventures of an impatient 7-year-old named Hairiette and her magic friends, Charlie the Comb and Barbara the Barrette. The brand serves children under 9, their teachers and family/caregivers!
Since reading is the foundation for all learning, literacy is our primary focus. Our first offering— Goodnight, Hairiette— centers video to inspire intrinsic motivation to read books! We’ll do our part to help blunt the achievement gap with the first three Hairiette of Harlem children’s books to debut in September, 2024.
“Goodnight, Hairiette is deceptive – in a good way: it begins as a simple and charming story, but turns out to have depth and a powerful message that parents will enjoy seeing and discussing with their young children. It has a light visual style, which turns out to feature absolutely adorable puppets, a couple of musical productions, and a surprising fantasy sequence. Best of all, young fans can follow Hairiette into a lively and original book series that will encourage them to read while reinforcing their pride in identity and self-esteem.”
Joe Blatt, Children’s Media Expert (Sesame Street)
Harvard Graduate School of Education, Senior Lecturer
Co-chair: Learning, Design, Innovation and Technology
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Goodnight, Hairiette
Find out more about Goodnight, Hairiette, the 24-minute puppet musical! Perfect for schools, libraries and museums.
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Meet the Founder: Tanya Wright, Ed.M
Learn more about the inspiration for Hairiette of Harlem! Hairiette of Harlem won the Harvard Innovative Ventures in Education Award (most promising early stage venture) and received the Education Entrepreneurship Fellowship.
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Donate
Support Hairiette of Harlem and our mission to educate children.
Reviews from Educators:
"Having Hairiette as the central character is such a great idea for so many reasons, not to mention representation. I love her magic hair!”
—Thom P.
" ...sense of fun married to a social mission, the focus on literacy at a young age, the attention to resources for families..."
—Bill T.
"Such a thoughtfully designed experience for students!"
—Sarah G.