Caribbean Queen Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Looking for upbeat, positive books featuring black girls with afros, cornrows, locks or twists. The books do not necessarily have to be about hair or race. My 7 year old told me girls in books always have straight hair. Her friends are getting their hair straightened, and some even get fake hair added on. Strangers and acquaintences often remark, "Too bad the girl got the bad hair," since her brothers have straighter hair. :mad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Hug. Taking notes.... this really breaks my heart. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 It's been a long time since I read it but I think this book would have what you are looking for. It's also a great story. Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe While searching and trying to remember the title of that book I also came across this one: I Love My Hair! by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley Strangers and acquaintences often remark, "Too bad the girl got the bad hair," since her brothers have straighter hair. :mad: Also, I would like to hit these people with a stick. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tawlas Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 That's heartbreaking. This is what I was able to find: I Love My Hair! - African American Written by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley, Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. 1998. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company A little girl's nightly struggle with a comb turns into a celebration of her family life and heritage. Her mother can style it to look like soft spun yarn or to reflect the rows of vegetables in their garden. Or the little girl can celebrate her African heritage by letting it all go free. The illustrations portray the different expressions and emotions that the little girl has throughout the story. Children will enjoy the individuality of the main character. African American children will see personal characteristics celebrated in a book that all children will love. http://www.amazon.com/Storytime-Books-African-American-Characters/lm/R1ZJWJBPP9ETRE I hope you find something helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Looking for upbeat, positive books featuring black girls with afros, cornrows, locks or twists. The books do not necessarily have to be about hair or race. My 7 year old told me girls in books always have straight hair. Her friends are getting their hair straightened, and some even get fake hair added on. Strangers and acquaintences often remark, "Too bad the girl got the bad hair," since her brothers have straighter hair. :mad: THE NERVE! What is wrong with people?! Anyway, I haven't read it, but I've heard about the book Nappy Hair for years now and it might be worth a look. The reviews seem somewhat split, but see what you think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amselby81 Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 I never noticed, but I bet I will now. Ruby Bridges is honestly the first (and only) book that pops into my head right now. I don't know if it's necessarily upbeat, but Ruby Bridges is strong and courageous, is a real person, and has curly hair. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amselby81 Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 And I do think it's a shame that people have made negative comments. I think African-Americans have beautiful natural hair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 It's been a long time since I read it but I think this book would have what you are looking for. It's also a great story. Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe While searching and trying to remember the title of that book I also came across this one: I Love My Hair! by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley Also, I would like to hit these people with a stick. :grouphug: The Mufaro's Beauiful Daughters book is great. Also, after reading a sotw chapter about Africa we got several folk tales which were beautifully illustrated. We also got books on different countries in Africa for part of a geography study that had nice illustrations. None of those books were about hair but all had nice illustrations. It's been a while so I don't remember any titles (other than "Africa is not a Country) or authors but searching for fiction from/about Africa is a good start. Fwiw, my daughter has what some people would call "good hair" . It is curly but relatively fine and manageable. People in the store regularly stop us to comment on how pretty her hair is. This does not stop her from wishing she had straight blond hair. She has always said that but it became especially noticeable for her after watching the new Rapunzel movie. We have regular conversations about being content with what God gave you and dh even took her to the mall where they sat on a bench and he had her point out how few people have curly hair to show that she was special. So far, she is unconvinced. We just keep telling her she's beautiful and hopefully as she gets older she'll be more content. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frugalmama Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 I never noticed, but I bet I will now. Ruby Bridges is honestly the first (and only) book that pops into my head right now. I don't know if it's necessarily upbeat, but Ruby Bridges is strong and courageous, is a real person, and has curly hair. :) We have this one, and I wouldn't call it upbeat but it is definitely inspirational. The only one I can think of is this one, and I'm not sure it's what you're looking for really. It's about Sarah Breedlove Walker and how her struggles with her hair caused her to create better hair care products. We read it this year and enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald Stoker Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 (edited) nm Edited November 21, 2012 by Honoria Glossop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Not sure if this is too young or quite what you were thinking of: Keep Climbing, Girls by Beah E Richards http://www.amazon.com/Keep-Climbing-Girls-Beah-Richards/dp/1416902643/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333343374&sr=1-1 I like to read this out loud once in a while to the girls. It's a great poem with a great vibe. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald Stoker Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 (edited) nm Edited November 21, 2012 by Honoria Glossop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASDAQ Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Amazing Grace http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Grace-Reading-Rainbow-Books/dp/0803710402/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333344361&sr=1-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nart Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Beatrice's Goat about how a girl lifts her family out of poverty. Marisol and Magdalena - Panamanian-American girls. Cover picture has girls with braids. Not a focus of the story but several descriptions throughout the book of beautiful dark skin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flux Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 (edited) I Like Myself Edited April 2, 2012 by Flux Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 (edited) I am so, so sorry your daughter is subjected to these comments. :grouphug: and all my best thoughts. Am also taking notes ... this is not an aspect of illustration that I'd thought of before. I'm just so, so sorry your family has this to contend with. We recently read this book on John Henry, and I was struck by the amazing beautiful people and esp. by John Henry's hair as a baby! There are lots of natural hair pictures in there. And the people are really gorgeous, in the way that actual folks you love are gorgeous. The Moon Over Star is illustrated by the same artist, Jerry Pinkney, and is about a family's experience of the first moon landing. I think anything illustrated by him about African Americans will have plenty of people with natural hair, and his other books may have too; in this story, it seems to me that the protagonist herself has smoothish hair but not processed-looking; you can see her on the cover. Has anyone mentioned Something Beautiful yet? It is upbeat but starts in a hard place. :grouphug:, and very best wishes, and my apologies for your daughter's experience. It is such a poor reflection on our culture that this happens, and that there are so few picture books of the sort you are looking for. You shouldn't have to look so hard to find upbeat stories & lovely pictures of children with natural hair. ETA: hair is not highlighted here, but shouldn't be a problem -- Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes. Edited April 2, 2012 by serendipitous journey addition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anabelneri Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 At our local arts and wine festival we met a lovely bookseller who primarily focuses on African American books. Her website is here. There are a lot of books there with children whose hair is natural. This is for more of the teen crowd, but we really enjoyed the movie "Something New", during which the main character lets her hair go natural. Sanaa Lathan (the actress) is lovely throughout, but her natural hair is a joy. If the current adoration of Rapunzel is having an effect, Rachel Isadora's Rapunzel has long long locks. Best wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 My littles like Handa's Surprise and Chidi Only Likes Blue. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caribbean Queen Posted April 2, 2012 Author Share Posted April 2, 2012 Ooo, can't wait to check these out! Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastforward Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 The Elizabeti* series of books doesn't necessarily deal with the topic of hair, but does show an African family with natural hair. If you're a "babywearer", you may really like Mama Elizabeti. *This one is about Elizabeti going to school. FYI in case you don't like that sort of topic in a book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommie_Jen Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Mama Jenn has a "Brown Like Me" book reviews section that I use as a reference sometimes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristin0713 Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 (edited) We have at least a few picture books like this--the Jamaica books by Juanita Havill (Jamaica's Find, Jamaica Tag-Along, and at least one more in this series), Three Wishes by Lucille Clifton, Grandpa's Face by Eloise Greenfield... I will check our books and post back if I find more. I wonder Ezra Jack Keats features girls in any of his books. I'll keep an eye out. Edited April 2, 2012 by kristin0713 Edited to add authors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beccad777 Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 I agree with everyone else who recommended Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters. It is a great book with a beautiful story. My kids really like that one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 No one mentioned Nappy Hair yet, though it stirred up some controversies. And I strongly second Anna Hibiscus - one of the books has a whole chapter where Anna hates her hair and refuses to have it braided, then suffers the consequences and learns to take better care of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Ooh, thought of another African hair-centric one - Bintou's Braids, which takes place in Senegal, iirc. A bit young for your dd, but a sweet book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 (edited) It might be too you for your 7yo, but I read it to my 7yo again this weekend, Raising Dragons. The author, Jerdine Nolan, also has several other picture books. Thunder Rose looks promising. I need more picture books. Really. I do. :D Edited April 2, 2012 by Karen in CO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeganW Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Strangers and acquaintences often remark, "Too bad the girl got the bad hair," since her brothers have straighter hair. :mad: Please tell me you reply "too bad your mother didn't teach you any manners!" or "too bad you got the rude mouth"! I would follow it up with "you do realize she can hear, right?" and "I think she's gorgeous!" just to be sure the point got across. Would it help her to know that we ALL wish we had different hair? I have stick straight light brown hair. All it does is a bob - no matter how I cut it, it always lays back into a bob. I grew up in the 80s, when curly and BIG was the look, and no matter how much I curled & teased & permed, I always had straight basically flat hair. It seemed like the end of the world at the time. Of course, looking back, we all laugh at my friends' pics, and then comment about how normal I look comparatively! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitterpatter Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 LOVE this book! Good one. I Like Myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitterpatter Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 If you type "nappy hair" into Amazon within the children's book section, these come up. All get positive reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Oh, and anything by Vera Williams - A Chair for my Mother, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 I have a book called Bright Eyes, Brown Skin. There isn't really anything special about it, but it is sweet and the four kids (real kids I think related to the author) have natural hair. It is a picture book at a two year old level not a seven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 (edited) Tan to Tamarind: Poems about the color brown (not just black people, but nice) Anything but Tololwa Mollel (from Tanazania ) is fantastic; my favorite is My Rows and Piles of Coins, but it's about a boy! It's illustrated by E. B. Lewis, who has beautifully illustrated lots of books with black characters Bigmama's by Donald Crews Two Mrs Gibsons by Toyomi Igus and African Princess by Lyra Edmonds (and the previously mentioned Anna Hibiscus) are about mixed girls. The mother in Igus' book (and real life) is Japanese, and in Edmonds' is from the Caribbean (father is white), and in Anna Hibiscus the mom is Canadian and dad is Nigerian. In Igus' book the mother and (black) grandma both braid the girl's hair. In Edmonds', the girl is somewhat lightish brown with freckles. Another mixed girl book is My Two Grannies by Floella Benjamin. The girl, mother, and black grandma have natural hair. Oh, another one with a mixed girl with natural hair is Hello, Goodbye Window. Edited April 2, 2012 by stripe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sctigermom Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain Follow the Drinking Gourd A Story A Story These are what I have sitting on my shelf when I looked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 FWIW, I had very straight, very blond hair as a girl. I remember litting at assembies where the junior high choir would come to sing and wishing that I had wavy, brown hair like so many of the beautiful girls on the stage. I wonder if we're not often attracted by what is (to our eyes) novel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caribbean Queen Posted April 2, 2012 Author Share Posted April 2, 2012 (edited) Please tell me you reply "too bad your mother didn't teach you any manners!" or "too bad you got the rude mouth"! I would follow it up with "you do realize she can hear, right?" and "I think she's gorgeous!" just to be sure the point got across. Would it help her to know that we ALL wish we had different hair? FWIW, I had very straight, very blond hair as a girl. I remember litting at assembies where the junior high choir would come to sing and wishing that I had wavy, brown hair like so many of the beautiful girls on the stage. I wonder if we're not often attracted by what is (to our eyes) novel. You ladies are so sweet, but no one with straight or wavy hair wants short kinky/nappy hair. There is a minority of black women who wear their hair naturally and like their hair, but that is not the same thing as someone wishing they had black hair instead of what they have. Oh, and I fussed at the last lady who said it and I will fuss from now on. Edited April 2, 2012 by Caribbean Queen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Oh, and I fussed at the last lady who said it and I will fuss from now on. I don't want to hijack your thread but I don't know how to deal with this when family members say this. (In general.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NapLover Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 (edited) This book is one of my family's favorites. There are beautiful pictures of boys and girls. It celebrates the diversity of skin tones, eye colors, and hair that is found in the black race. I love it! Shades of Black http://www.amazon.com/Shades-Black-Celebration-Our-Children/dp/0439148928 Edited April 2, 2012 by NapLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 The Elizabeti* series of books doesn't necessarily deal with the topic of hair, but does show an African family with natural hair. If you're a "babywearer", you may really like Mama Elizabeti. *This one is about Elizabeti going to school. FYI in case you don't like that sort of topic in a book. Elizabeti was my first thought as well... I'll try to think of others... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Amazing Grace http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Grace-Reading-Rainbow-Books/dp/0803710402/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333344361&sr=1-1 I was going to say this one too. It's also part of a series (Amazing Grace (first one), Starring Grace, Boundless Grace, Bravo Grace, Princess Grace, Encore Grace, Grace and Family, Grace at Christmas). And many books by Vera B. Williams. And and And Bigmama's. And we also love Elzabeti. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 :grouphug: My daughter thought that was sad, she said braids are beautiful and so is curly hair of any type. There is a girl in my son's AWANA class who has her same name who always has her hair braided in unique ways, my daughter always comments on how cute her hairdos are. (Her hair is also sometimes color coded to match her outfits!) I always wanted and envied black Asian type hair growing up, it never looks messy even if you don't brush it all day long! (It would look horrible with my complexion, though.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 If you type "nappy hair" into Amazon within the children's book section, these come up. All get positive reviews. Oh, good! I was TRYING to remember the title of "The Colors of Us"--I love that book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Ibby Books for and from Africa has some nice suggestions too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indigomama Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 We have this one http://www.amazon.com/Cherries-Cherry-Pits-Vera-Williams/dp/0688051456. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 You ladies are so sweet, but no one with straight or wavy hair wants short kinky/nappy hair. There is a minority of black women who wear their hair naturally and like their hair, but that is not the same thing as someone wishing they had black hair instead of what they have. Oh, and I fussed at the last lady who said it and I will fuss from now on. No one necessarily wants kinky hair but the comment about wanting something different than you have is pretty spot on. Most people who have straight hair have at one point wanted it curly (I have some really bad 90's perm pictures to prove it:tongue_smilie:) and vice versa. I do also think some of it is the novelty factor. At our previous church which was predominantly made up of AA families kids often wanted to touch our daughter's hair because it looked different than theirs. My daughter wanted to touch her friends hair that is more kinky. I think this is equivalent to wanting bigger or smaller body parts. Everyone goes through this at times. I will say that the comments about good/vs bad hair get on my nerves. My dh is black and my beautiful nieces have a variety of hair textures. I can't believe that there are family members who comment on this. I have a big nose and I can't imagine members of my family sitting around discussing that it is a shame I got my dad's Italian nose! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Caribbean Queen Don't you think there is also a lot of cultural pressure for kids hair to look a certain way from within the AA community? I know my white/Italian family thinks my dd's hair looks fine even if it looks a little on the wild side (like when she stays with them for a few days). Dh who is not a person who at all cares what other people think about most things has been obsessive about her hair looking "neat" well groomed, etc since she was a baby. People used to laugh about it at church saying they could tell when he fixed it because he always slicked it down. It looked terrible and boyish like that and MUCH better with loose curls but he felt pressured for it not to look "wild". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 It doesn't look like anyone has suggested this book: Hair Dance - it show different styles for African American hair and does a poetic rhyme about how beautiful each can be. :) http://www.amazon.com/Hair-Dance-Kelly-Johnson/dp/0805065237/ref=cm_lmf_tit_37#_ Here is a review on the book: This book is a wondrous celebration of female African-American hair in all its variety and beauty. The photographs are outstanding! They expertly show movement, demonstrate a mastery of light and shadow, reveal the texture of skin and hair, and capture the different moods of the girls: joyous, reflective, and pensive. The photographs are artistic: one shows hair spreading out with red highlights bordered by gold paper laced with hints of red; another shows a girl who has her hair gathered in little puffs, the pattern of the scalp shows. Some of the text is in rhyming verses "We play beauty parlor every day styling hair in all kinds of ways" but most is in phrases: "my nature hair real hair flower power strong hair". This book is an example of absolutely gorgeous book design. The photographs rest on color paper that sets them off beautifully: One page has a beautiful posed side shot and front shot of the same girl, her red shirt blends into a background of red that is artfully arranged with a gold strip, and a blue rectangle. Both the photographer and author describe how they view hairstyle as an art form. The author notes, "so we work with it (hair), play with it, style it, and treasure it as the art that it is." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in FL Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 We have this one http://www.amazon.com/Cherries-Cherry-Pits-Vera-Williams/dp/0688051456. This is the book I was going to recommend - my daughter loved this book and checked it out from the library continuously! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Fwiw, my daughter has what some people would call "good hair" . It is curly but relatively fine and manageable. People in the store regularly stop us to comment on how pretty her hair is. This does not stop her from wishing she had straight blond hair. Yup. To a word. Everybody, and I do mean everybody, and their mother love my dd's hair. It's shiny and soft and forms gorgeous spiral curls. On the (extremely, excruciatingly) rare occasions we can cajole her into wearing it loose, everybody and their mother fall all over her about how gorgeous her hair is. She spends hours torturing it into straightness and wearing it just like everyone else at school and then tells me that she wants to dye a streak of it pink so she'll be "distinctive." :001_huh: I tell her she already has the most distinctive hair in school, and she works so hard to hide it. Anyway, there is a series of books about Julian and Huey that begins with The Stories Julian Tells. They have a friend named Gloria (who has her own books in the series), and she wears her hair natural. There are older versions of the books and updated versions (in terms of the cover illustrations). We read the older versions. Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 You ladies are so sweet, but no one with straight or wavy hair wants short kinky/nappy hair. There is a minority of black women who wear their hair naturally and like their hair, but that is not the same thing as someone wishing they had black hair instead of what they have. I am white. I have thin, straight hair. I would love to have short, kinky hair. I think it's beautiful. My son's hair is the kinkiest, most tightly curled hair I have ever seen. I love it, I love doing it, I love feeling it. I think it's wonderful. Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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