I have even had some students jealous of my students with Black hair while my students with Black hair are simultaneously jealous of students with straight hair. Then again, what is more universal than a little girl learning to love and care for her well-being at the knees of her mother or female carer. Echewa's (The Ancestor Tree) lilting retelling describes how an orphan gains power over the villagers who treat him badly.

waiting to read to my daughters, and thankful to have a stack of picture books that celebrate diversity. As a child, I can remember asking my mother for a chemical relaxer which would have made my hair straight. I have seen in my classroom how challenging it can be for students that don’t have Black hair to understand what it is like to style it. Her mom was teaching her valuable lessons In taking great pride for the way we can change our hair would. Keyana tells her own stories about the reasons why she loves her hair, and through her stories we are transported into a world of dreams, belonging, and becoming!p>Sign up to the Little, Brown newsletter for news of upcoming publications, competitions and updates from our authors.

She would make herself comfortable sitting on the floor between her mom’s knees and relax as her mom oiled her scalp, parted and combed her hair. This imaginative story is a celebration of the special relationship between mother and daughter, as well as the qualities that make each of us unique and beautiful. has been a staple in African-American picture books for over 20 years, and now has a fresh, updated cover that shines on the shelves! Teaching Idea: I would let my African American students read this book so they could feel good about themselves.

Especially note that oil is being applied to the hair and there is a bonding experience happening between Mother and child as the hair care is accomplished.

The Love My Hair salon offers a modern, friendly, and fresh interior, newly renovated from the old Post Office in 2023. About the Author Natasha Anastasia Tarpley started writing when she was seven years old, and from that young age she understood that stories could change the world. Every night before she goes to bed, Keyana sits down between her mother’s knees to have her hair combed. This would be a great book to teach about diversity, it is a very true example of what most little African American girls go through when getting our hair combed. This book does a great job of illustrating and bringing alive the way the girl in the story styles her hair with her mom and her different options, especially for people that will never have the experience like myself.I'm particularly interested in the ways that Tarpley and Lewis connect hair to the natural world, especially in the second to last image of Keyana standing with her back against a tree at dusk, with her hair indecipherable from the the vines on the tree. Just like Keyana, my mother or grandmother would sit me between her legs as the moisturized my scalp and styled my hair. The mother reminds her that her hair is part of her heritage and that she is lucky to have such hair because, she can style it anyway she desires. Then on Instagram I spotted a pic and comment from Naturally Cimone, so I thought I’d give it a try.