Miller, Sharee. Princess Hair.
October 31st 2017 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Copy provided by the publisher
This picture book celebrates that while "All princesses wear crowns", their hair is not the same. With simple, bright pcitures, a wide variety of African-American hair styles are discussed. Using a mix of consonance and assonance, there are descriptions of what different princesses with different styles do. "Princesses with PUFFS play pretend" and "Princesses with HEAD WRAPS take long naps". Styles from Frohawks to Bantu Knots are covered, concluding with the sentiment that not all hairstyles are the same, but princesses all love their princess hair.
Strengths: The pictures and text are exuberant and fun, and young readers will enjoy finding details in the pictures. There are many varieties of hair styles, so most young readers with textured hair will be able to find the style they sport.
Weaknesses: I would have preferred that this were just a book about hairstyles and didn't feature princesses. I would have liked to see a little girl in overalls and Afro puffs gardening, or one working on a computer and coding!
What I really think: It is very interesting to me that this was first published by CreateSpace in November of 2014, when the #WeNeedDiverseBooks movement was just getting started. This is a welcome addition to picture books featuring diverse characters. My daughters would have been glad to know that "princesses in braids throw parades" but might have made me attempt buns so they could run.
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