A book about Emily Blair, who has straight hair and tries everything to make it curly like her friend Pamela's. Her problems are finally solved when she discovers braids. The text has an alliterative bounce and is full of unexpected images and metaphors (as a baby, Emily had three strands of hair, ``perched like pine needles on a peach''). Priceman's illustrations--a combination of sketchy charcoal and watercolors--are as freewheeling as they come. Hair and the girls fly all over the pages, as do a pair of omnipresent pets. The concerns here aren't earth-shattering, but everyone has bad hair days, and Garrison gives the tale plenty of personality. Readers will love Emily Blair's creations, right down to the last dented curl. (Picture book. 5-8)
