Every night before she goes to bed, Keyana sits down between her mother’s knees to have her hair combed. But no matter how gently Mama pulls, it sometimes still hurts! Keyana doesn’t feel lucky to have such a head of hair, but Mama says she is because she can wear it any way she chooses. This is a wonderful book about self-acceptance for black girls with natural hair. The little girl as a black doll which I found wonderful, especially knowing how difficult it is to find black dolls in Canada (where I live). It is sometimes difficult for black girls to accept and love their hair as it naturally grows out of their head for various reasons. I believe lack of positive representation greatly contributes to this phenomenon. Young girls as little as 4 or 5 years old sometimes refuse to wear their hair a certain way because none of their friends do, and they never see hair like theirs on TV. This book can contribute to build self-esteem in young girls. It also gives them a positive representation of themselves, which is often lacking in popular media.
Author(s) / illustrator(s) : Natasha Anastasia Tarpley & E. B. Lewis
Publisher: Little, Brown
Publication date: 1998
ISBN: 0316522759
Target audience: 4 to 8 years old
Learn more about American author Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
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