THE PINKALINA CHRONICLES

A girl with troublesome hair learns that brushing and washing her locks can be magical in this debut picture book.

Pinkalina loves to sing and rhyme, but her hair is a problem. Instead of lying flat, her pink hair stands up straight. If she’s upset, it goes limp and lies on the floor. When she asks her mother to cut it off, her parent tells her: “If you love your hair, it will love you back.” Pinkalina promises her hair that she’ll brush and wash it. After a hug from her self-aware hair, it reveals an even greater magic by turning into wings and lifting her off the ground. Though Pinkalina starts out with good intentions, after one flight, the snarls are too difficult to deal with. She avoids brushing and loses her flying powers. Saddened by how upset her hair has become, she changes her approach and practices good hair hygiene from then on. In this engaging series opener, Cami’s rhyming text works well overall, with a few repeated words (back / back), near-rhymes (shine/ rhyme), and homophones (knots/ not) among the true rhymes. Qureshi’s pastel digital illustrations, including Pinkalina’s rainbow hair wings, portray a vibrant world. The candy-colored skin tones, hair colors, and wonders of nature (most of them pink) are not commented on, but they add to the fantastical feel of the story.

For kids struggling with hair care, this enjoyable, whimsical tale may spark effective routines.