A fine addition to the expanding body of picture books about Afro hair.
An affirmation of Afro hair that speaks to Black girls all over the African diaspora.
In this South African story, brown-skinned Wanda, who has a huge crown of natural Afro hair, feels embarrassed and panicked whenever she rides the school bus because Thula and Sizwe call her “Miss Bush” on account of her hair. Each morning, Wanda’s mama combs her hair into a halo and declares Wanda a queen and her hair a crown. But when Wanda gets to school, she transforms her hairdo into puffballs or other styles so that her teacher, who only appears in silhouette but is presumably White, will not label her hair a “bird’s nest” or say she is inappropriately dressed for this school, where students wear uniforms. With the help of her makhulu (grandmother), who wears beautiful gray twists and shows Wanda photos of famous Black women wearing diverse hairstyles, Wanda gains a greater appreciation of her hair. Makhulu gives her a new style that her classmates admire. With a bright color palette of yellow, pink, blue, aqua, and green, this story highlights Wanda’s positive female relationships and role models and helps her understand who she is in a broader cultural context. This story also addresses the systemic racism rooted in apartheid that lingers today in South African schools.
A fine addition to the expanding body of picture books about Afro hair. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-62371-864-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Crocodile/Interlink
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
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Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle...
Making things is difficult work. Readers will recognize the stages of this young heroine’s experience as she struggles to realize her vision.
First comes anticipation. The artist/engineer is spotted jauntily pulling a wagonload of junkyard treasures. Accompanied by her trusty canine companion, she begins drawing plans and building an assemblage. The narration has a breezy tone: “[S]he makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!” The colorful caricatures and creations contrast with the digital black outlines on a white background that depict an urban neighborhood. Intermittent blue-gray panels break up the white expanses on selected pages showing sequential actions. When the first piece doesn’t turn out as desired, the protagonist tries again, hoping to achieve magnificence. A model of persistence, she tries many adjustments; the vocabulary alone offers constructive behaviors: she “tinkers,” “wrenches,” “fiddles,” “examines,” “stares” and “tweaks.” Such hard work, however, combines with disappointing results, eventually leading to frustration, anger and injury. Explosive emotions are followed by defeat, portrayed with a small font and scaled-down figures. When the dog, whose expressions have humorously mirrored his owner’s through each phase, retrieves his leash, the resulting stroll serves them well. A fresh perspective brings renewed enthusiasm and—spoiler alert—a most magnificent scooter sidecar for a loyal assistant.
Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle characterization for maximum delight. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-55453-704-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2014
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