Review by Booklist Review
Ages 2^-6. Like Rochelle's Jewels, reviewed above, this picture book is a celebration of African American identity. There is no real story, just an upbeat message about a young girl, Kenyana, who enjoys all the things she can do with her hair. Sometimes it hurts when her mother combs through the tangles, but it is great to wear it in braids with beads that tap and clack, or in two ponytails that stick out, or to let it surround her head like a globe, Afro style. As always, Lewis' watercolors are masterful, showing the child as part of a lively community, warm in her mother's embrace at home, her curls as thick as a forest or like a vine winding upward to reach the sky. --Hazel Rochman
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"In this gracefully told story, a young African-American heroine celebrates her lovely head of hair as part of her heritage," wrote PW. Ages 3-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2A young African-American girl describes the familiar mother-daughter nightly ritual of combing the tangles out of her hair. When she cries because it hurts, her sympathetic mother tells her how lucky she is to have such beautiful hair. Imaginatively, the woman goes on to say that she can spin it into a fine, soft bun or "plant rows of braids" along her scalp, prompting her daughter to think of other wonderful things she likes about her hair. The superb watercolor illustrations move from the intimacy and security of Keyana's bedroom to the neighborhood streets and finally to the whole world as her mother's imagery becomes reflected in the art. Keyana's hair is spun on a spinning wheel, becomes part of rows of plants in a garden, and merges with a globe of the whole world. The child's favorite style, however, is two ponytails that flap like wings on each side of her head, and the final picture is of Keyana triumphantly flying free against the blue sky. Pictures and text reflect the expanding horizons of the child's world as she learns to be proud of her distinctive hair and her heritage. Carolivia Herron's Nappy Hair (Knopf, 1997) and Alexis De Veaux's The Enchanted Hair Tale (HarperCollins, 1991) treat the same subject well, but this book has a simpler text that can be used both as a read-aloud to a group or on a mother's lap. A very special book about self-acceptance.Judith Constantinides, East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Although Keyana dreads the pain of getting the tangles combed from her hair every night, her mother helps her see that her hair is also a blessing because she can wear it in cornrows, braids, an Afro, and many other wonderful ways. Expressive watercolor paintings fancifully interpret the different styles and highlight Keyana's face as it goes from wincing to reflective to joyous. From HORN BOOK Fall 1998, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Tarpley's first book for children joins a growing list of titles about African-American hair--linking it to issues of self-esteem and acceptance. Keyana tells how her mother sits her down each night to comb her hair and to rub coconut oil into her scalp; Mama's touch and her words are always heartening. Keyana is lucky to have her head of hair because ""it's beautiful and you can wear it in any style you choose."" It can be woven into a puffy bun, braided into corn rows, grown into an Afro style that is partly a political statement, or pulled into two ponytails that ""stick out on either side of my head and slap in the air like a pair of wings,"" making her feel free enough to fly. Lewis's imaginative and warm interpretations of these exchanges as well as the inclusion of bits of African-American cultural history expand the personal content. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
