Monday, September 20, 2010

Happy to Be Nappy


Title: Happy to Be Nappy
Author: Bell Hooks
Illustrator: Chris Raschka
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Age Group: Lower Elementary
Rating: 3 stars

            Happy to Be Nappy is a book about ethnic hair care, aimed at younger readers.  Its hand lettered text makes it slightly challenging to read due to the handwriting itself, and the childish and simplistic watercolor illustrations add a bright and happy mood to the piece.  The book seems to be aimed towards colored girls, as the word “girl” is used repeatedly, and the illustrations are all characters of darker shades of skin.  This could be a good lesson in diversity in a lower elementary classroom.  However, the book describes the difference in ethnic hair and its abilities to do certain things, so it may not be very relatable to all students.  For this reason, I believe it would be better to have available for free reading time in a classroom, but would not necessarily be ideal for a read-aloud.  

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