Girl in the Mirror by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley

Lewis perfectly captures the characters of this simple story, as well as all of Keyana' s imaginative hairstyles. In his expressive watercolor illustrations, E.B.

'Or I can part your hair into straight lines and plant rows of braids along your scalp, the way we plant seeds in our garden, then wait and watch for them to grow.' Natasha Tarpley' s whimsical, evocative text encourages Black children to not only feel good about their special hair, but to also feel proud of their heritage. 'I can spin you hair into fine, soft yam, just like our grandmothers did at their spinning wheels, ' she tells her. But no matter how gently Mama pulls, it sometimes still hurts Keyana doesn' t feel lucky to have such a head of hair, but Mama tells her she is because she can wear it any way she chooses. DESCRIPTION Every night before she goes to bed, Keyana sits down between her mother' s knees to have her hair combed. KEYNOTE A lively celebration of the pride and joy a young black girl feels for her hair and her heritage. 'About this title' may belong to another edition of this title.īook Description Board Books. A very special book about self-acceptance.?Judith Constantinides, East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library,Ĭopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. Carolivia Herron's Nappy Hair (Knopf, 1997) and Alexis De Veaux's The Enchanted Hair Tale (HarperCollins, 1991) treat the same subject well, but this book has a simpler text that can be used both as a read-aloud to a group or on a mother's lap. Pictures and text reflect the expanding horizons of the child's world as she learns to be proud of her distinctive hair and her heritage. The child's favorite style, however, is two ponytails that flap like wings on each side of her head, and the final picture is of Keyana triumphantly flying free against the blue sky. Keyana's hair is spun on a spinning wheel, becomes part of rows of plants in a garden, and merges with a globe of the whole world. The superb watercolor illustrations move from the intimacy and security of Keyana's bedroom to the neighborhood streets and finally to the whole world as her mother's imagery becomes reflected in the art. Imaginatively, the woman goes on to say that she can spin it into a fine, soft bun or 'plant rows of braids' along her scalp, prompting her daughter to think of other wonderful things she likes about her hair. When she cries because it hurts, her sympathetic mother tells her how lucky she is to have such beautiful hair. PreSchool-Grade 2?A young African-American girl describes the familiar mother-daughter nightly ritual of combing the tangles out of her hair.

Girl in the Mirror by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley