Matthew.A Cherry author page

Matthew.A Cherry biography

Matthew A. Cherry is an American children’s author, film director, writer and producer. He began his career as an NFL wide receiver before moving into entertainment, where his work has included television series, feature films and music videos. He created the animated series Young Love.

Cherry wrote Hair Love, a children’s picture book illustrated by Vashti Harrison and published by Kokila. The book follows Zuri, a Black girl whose father helps her style her natural hair for a special day, and it is aimed at readers aged 4–8.

Hair Love was based on Cherry’s animated short film of the same title. On 9 February 2020, the animated short Hair Love won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film at the 92nd Academy Awards ceremony.

Cherry’s children’s books include Hair Love, Amor de pelo and Hair Love ABCs. Hair Love ABCs continues the Hair Love strand for younger readers through an alphabet-book format.