This book is a little hard to talk about. The title is considered derogatory by many. At the time it was published (1997) this may have not been the case. Uncle Mordici is telling his niece where she got her hair. That it was sent by God to represent her culture. I liked this book, and think I understand it. However, I am not the right person to tell one how true or how good of a representation this book is or isn’t. It has been banned in the past, and back in 1999, it even caused some problems in a community that caused a teacher to change schools. Overall, I think this is a good addition to a library but understand that I may be wrong. ( )

A story about a girl's nappy hair, how it might have come to be, and why it is something to be proud of. It has modern folktale vibes. Great for K-4th graders. Beautiful illustrations. ( )

This was an extremely cute book and I absolutely loved it. I loved the message it gives for young girls of color about loving their natural hair because they don't hear enough appreciation for their hair the way it naturally is. I also thought the rhythm of this book was really fun and it was a super easy read. ( )

In my opinion, this is an AMAZING book! The author has such a strong voice and I love how the author embraces African American culture. In addition, Herron also uses a lot of African-American English (AAE), which makes the text feel authentic and real. For instance, she writes,“Them some willful intentional naps you / got all over your head. / Sure enough. / Your hair intended to be nappy. / Indeed it did.” This quote among many others, shows her unique voice and offers a sense of rhythm. Another thing that I really liked was how she challenged the views of many and embraced her culture, stating that nappy hair is a distinct feature of African Americans, and she writes with a sense of pride that shows throughout her writing. Moreover, the illustrations in the book also supported the language and voice and it helps to promote African American culture and pride. I think this would be a great book to include in a classroom collection and it allows students to embrace their individuality and all of their unique features. ( )

Maurice Holmes
Professor
EDUC 417
9/5/2019
Reading Log #1
Title: Nappy Hair
Author: Carolivia Herron
Copyright Date: 1997
Illustrator: Joe Cepeda
Tags: This book represents African Americans and all people of color. Talking about physical aspects of people of color and how you should be proud, not ashamed of your appearance.
Collections: This is a Poetry book as described by the author. I believe it is a book that could suit students from 3rd all the way through about 6th grade.
I give this book 3.7 out of 5 stars. At first it seemed like the book was all about making fun of this little girl and her hair. But towards the end it began to present the real message of the book while providing great representation for different ethnic groups which I enjoyed. I think it would have been cool if they added more context to the girl, maybe even given her a name just to add that extra sense of reliability maybe, just instead of saying “she” or “the sweet little girl”.

I think that this was an overall good book, especially one that you can read to students. The illustration was big, bold, and colorful which I thought was great because it caught your attention but it wasn’t so busy that is was distracting me from the actual story.
The big idea of the story is talking about self-esteem and accepting yourself. It starts with the girl’s uncle making fun of her hair, saying how nappy it is, how it sounds when it’s combed and things such as that. Then the story shifts, talking about how great her hair is and how God had made her hair just like that or a reason, and how it may have been almost a sense of relief that God could make such a beautiful child with such nappy hair. The story also talk about how blacks have always had hair like this. How even when people came over, forcing blacks into slavery and as the story puts it, sold your mom for a buffalo and your father for a dime. I believe things like this are metaphors, saying although tough times may arise and you may not see the end of the tunnel, but staying true to yourself and doing what you can to rise out of the situation is something that always most remain the same. I believe that is an incredible message and having students read that would only uplift them, further pushing them to be their best.
This book is good to me because it has a real message behind it. Not only mentioning the atrocities of slavery which I think was very unexpected but interesting, but it talks about self-care/love. No, it is not the most educational book, but I do think that you can learn a thing or two from it. ( )