Ortega, Claribel A. Frizzy. Rose Bousamra, Illus. First Second, 10/2022. 215pp. Graphic. GRADES 3 – 8. $21.99. 978-1-250-25962-2. OUTSTANDING.
Domincan American Marlene hates her Sunday salon day with her mom. At the salon her natural coils are brushed and heated until they’re straight or tamed into “good” curls that are soft and long. Marlene begins to struggle with her mother’s obsession with her hair, and with the help of her Tia Ruby, she begins to appreciate her beauty as she embraces wearing her hair naturally. Marlene and her family are portrayed with brown skin and coiled brown hair. Bousamra’s art does an excellent job of showing the visual differences between hair textures among the characters. The debate about what hair is “good hair” is rooted in anti-Blackness, and is gently explained for a younger audience by Marlene’s Tia Ruby who, compared to Mama, is much more comfortable in her Blackness—she has a nose piercing and wears her coils tied back in a loose ponytail. Without being overly preachy, this heartwarming story teaches readers to love the skin they’re in.
Solia Martinez-Jacobs—Bret Harte Middle School, Oakland