This Hair Belongs
-
- $15.99
-
- $15.99
Publisher Description
A Kids' Indie Next Pick
With lyrical verse and dazzling illustrations, this joyful ode to Black hair will empower readers ages 4–8 to celebrate the historical, cultural, and emotional significance of their natural hair.
From the intricate coils of kings and queens to the cornrowed maps to freedom of African Americans, This Hair Belongs is a heartfelt poetic tribute to Black hair throughout history. Told through powerful verse, stunning illustrations, and fascinating back matter, this Black history picture book pays tribute to the African origins of Black hairstyles and will remind young Black readers that their hair is magical and beautiful and belongs.
JaNay Brown-Wood and Erin K. Robinson deftly weave African and American history into this powerful children's picture book about Black hair, making it an essential nonfiction title honoring Black cultural heritage.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
With lyrical, simile-studded prose and crisp, radiant illustrations, Brown-Wood and Robinson craft a powerful portrait of Black hair as artistry, inheritance, and pride. After establishing that "this hair/ grew/ from the scalps of kings and queens," comparative lines liken waves, spirals, and curls to African landscapes, including "rivers that span Africa's grand land"; winds blowing sands in the Namib, Kalahari, and Sahara deserts; and the albuca plant. Locks' arrayed traits are described next in text that references ancestors' actions and experiences ("While it may tangle, tangle it is told that this hair hid grains and seeds later planted to grow and fill our ancestors' bellies"). Textural jewel-toned visuals portray Black hair as both crown and connection across time: "This hair belongs in the past, the now, the future, in the real and the imagined, in the myth and in the legend." Includes an author's note and contextualizing back matter. Ages 4–8.
