Review Detail

In this book, a young girl is getting her hair styled, and as this occurs, she provides us with an overall history of African hair. She talks about beads, feathers, charcoal, pearls, cornrows, maps, seeds, dreadlocks, etc., all while ensuring that different African cultures are portrayed.

What I Liked: This book begins by introducing you to a young girl who is getting her hair done. This book includes both a story and informative pieces about African hair, tied into the story being told. The young girl makes a statement about her hair before further expanding on that statement, such as how her hair is stories and just what that means over time.

The illustrations throughout this book do a fantastic job of going back and forth from current times in depicting the young girl getting her hair done at different times, and historical moments depicting how hair plays a role in African history. The illustrations are soft and include a variety of colors that do a great job of highlighting the various people that are depicted. The illustrator also did a great job with the various types of hair styles and the textures.

Final Verdict: HairStory is a beautiful celebration of African hair and its heritage. This book is great for children ages 4 and up to highlight the importance of hair in African heritage, and also to showcase the history of African hair. This is a great book to share the meaning of hair, its history, the identity, the way it helps build and shape community, and how its been used to help others.