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Reviews of Nappy Hair by Carolivia Herron |
The cover painting of a little black girl with an impressive if not amazing head of hair will certainly attract attention, but the free-flowing, conversational narrative written in the African-American tradition of call-and-response also exerts a pull. The text touches on such topics as God, family, Africa, slavery, and, of course, hair: "Them some willful intentional naps you got all over your head. Sure enough. Your hair intended to be nappy. Indeed it did." The artwork, too, is energetic. Cepada's vibrant, folk-art-style paintings have a strong sense of color, form, and design. Librarians may want to have this unusual rhythmic book on hand for choral reading during Black History Month.
From Booklist , February 1, 1997 by Julie Corsaro
The title leaves no doubt about the focus of this picture book. At a family picnic, everyone pokes fun at the youngest girl's nappy hair. Devised as a call-and-response dialogue, the interchanges offer explanations and comments on why Brenda's hair is the nappiest, the curliest, the twistiest hair in the family. The answers involve African origins, God's intent, and pride in one's self; e.g., the Lord "looked down on this cute little brown baby girl" and said, "One nap of her hair is the only perfect circle in nature." The slightly exaggerated, colorful illustrations depict hair as wild and woolly as Don King's, and they comically embellish the message. The device of the multi-voiced dialogue, characterized in different type styles and sizes, rhythmically carries an ethnic flavor. . .
From School Library Journal
by Julie Cummins, New York Public Library
Uncle Mordecai calls out the story of Brenda's hair--the nappiest hair in the world--at the family picnic, while everyone else chimes in with affirmations: ``Yep,'' ``You said it,'' and ``Ain't it the truth.'' At first they think Mordecai is making fun of Brenda's hair; when he says that combing it out sounds like crunching through deep snow with two inches of crust on top, somebody says, ``Brother, you ought to be ashamed.'' But soon it's clear that his only purpose is celebration: ``One nap of her hair is the only perfect circle in nature,'' hair that is ordained by God Himself. The text, illustrations, and overall design of the book work exceptionally well together. Uncle Mordecai's narration is set in a serif typeface, with the interjected responses set in a variety of serif and sans-serif typefaces for emphasis. The exuberant gospel rhythm of the text is matched by Cepeda's bold, color-saturated paintings, particularly his renderings of little Brenda. She's clearly a child who stomps through life with a lot of spunk and energy.
From Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 1996
Based on a tape recorded at a family gathering attended by the author, this zesty book also draws inspiration from the African American tradition of call and response. At a family picnic, Uncle Mordecai serves up jibe after jibe about young Brenda's locks-"the kinkiest, the nappiest, the fuzziest, the most screwed up, squeezed up... hair you've ever seen in your life." Each sally elicits responses from the relatives, who chime in with "Don't cha know"; "That's the way"; and so forth. As Uncle Mordecai continues, he describes a delegation of angels trying to talk God out of giving Brenda her wild hair; he flashes abruptly back to Africa, where Brenda is "getting ready to come to America with them slaves." Herron, a first-time author, captures the free-for-all atmosphere of a Sunday get-together, and the spontaneous, true-to-life quality of her writing will resonate with children and families who share Brenda's experiences. . . . To some extent, both the book design and Cepeda's (The Old Man and the Door) vibrant paintings help pull together the text's disparate strands. Skillfully varied typefaces set off the responses of different speakers and thereby convey the impression of hearing from many voices. Cepeda's stylized art picks up on the energy and exuberance of the crowd; his work also focuses on Brenda (who otherwise is not heard from), defining her character to be as strong-willed and lively as her famous hair.
From Publisher's Weekly
Cepeda's bright palette serves him well in this exuberant story, distinguishing each expressive family member by style or dress: Uncle Mordecai, in a dark blue shirt, red bow tie and yellow pants, sits on a sky-blue porch with a pink railing. Brenda herself energetically races through the pages in a neon-green dress with a yellow ruffle and black and white high tops, joyfully heading for her obviously sublime destiny. Sitting around a picnic table set on fresh green grass, Brenda's family celebrates their togetherness--and her hair.
From Bulletin of the Center
for Children's Books
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