Author: Crystal Swain-Bates
Illustrator: Megan Bair
Published: Goldest Karat Publishing 2013
Pages: 30
Tags: Jamal Jackson, Realistic Fiction, k-5, Picture Book, Multicultural, Fashion, Diversity, Crystal Swain-Bates
Genre: Fiction
Analysis:
Lola is a young African American girl with big curly hair. She is proud of her hair regardless of how other people see it or the downfalls of having giant hair. She loves her hair so much that she tells everyone every chance she gets that she loves her hair and even styles her dogs hair to be like hers.
I love this book. The ideology of self-love for young black girls is necessary to be communicated. This book serves as a mirror for girls and boys that may have curly natural hair. This book helps boost self-esteem and give confidence to a child that may be self-conscious about having hair that is different than their peers. Sometimes children can say mean and hurtful things to other children of color about their hair and schools have even gone as far as to ban natural hair, labeling it too distracting. This message is one that I can even see myself giving to my children. Lola is confident and carefree, as children should be at this age. The author even brings in other historically African American hair styles as reference and Lola loves them all. She is most passionate about her hair how it naturally grows.
The illustrations help to communicate the ideology. The focus on many of the pictures is the hair. The depictions of the African American characters as vibrant and happy. The full page illustrations pull you into Lola’s world, while the vibrant bright colors help readers feel the pure joy and happiness in this young girl who is unapologetically black and happy. The illustration of the children going to school is also very diverse which looks more like a school now day would look.