Crowning Glory

Publishers Weekly

Thomas (Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea) celebrates the beauty of African-American hair in this collection of 14 poems. Based on Thomas's daughter and granddaughters, Joysmith's (This Is My Song) full-bleed pastel portraits, opposite, provide loving accompaniment and demonstrate a spectrum of hairstyles. The illustration paired with Great Grandma's Way shows a woman instructing her granddaughter by example: To make the hair strong You can't go wrong Using black twine, nothing's better To wrap and keep loose ends together. In Adorned (Bands and bows Shells and nets Flowers and hairpins Rainbow barrettes), four elementary-school girls sit on a bed as one works on another's hair. Mama's Glory explains the connection between hair and history: I wear my hair natural In memory of a faraway place. Here, Joysmith depicts the mother, a baby in her arms and her son by her side, with a halo of hair. Good Hair celebrates everyone's titular crowning glory What is good hair?' I ask my daddy And Mama answers, Why, it's understood, Sister, if it's on your head it's good!' Readers will want this handsomely designed volume not only for its hair-apparent emphasis but also for the ways in which Thomas effortlessly uses her theme to integrate its ties to family, friendships and tradition. Ages 4-8. (June) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 4-Thomas lovingly extols the virtues and beauty of braids; cornrows; dreadlocks; and even ribbons, combs, beads, and colorful scarves that grace the heads of a family of children and adults. The 14 free-verse poems are magical. In "Mama's Glory," the mother states: "I wear my hair natural In memory of a faraway place"; in "At Glory's Beauty Shop," a girl enjoys a relaxing shampoo and conditioning; and in "Crowning Glory," hair is "a gift wrapped ribboned curled tied." Joysmith's full-page pastels present an intimate look into the life of this African-American family and are a perfect complement to the poetry. These selections have the makings for read-aloud magic and are an antidote to Carolivia Herron's much disparaged Nappy Hair (Knopf, 1997) of several years ago.-Barbara Buckley, Rockville Centre Public Library, NY Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

A celebration of hair, the hair of beautiful African-American girls, is the focus of this collection of gentle, joyful poems. The hairstyles emerge: braids, curls, dreadlocks, natural, sometimes wrapped with twine for strength or covered in colorful scarves, or adorned with ribbons, combs, bows, and all the other accouterments. Even wigs and glorious hats are part of the fun. Each poem is also a tiny moment in time conveyed in simple, conversational language. Told in the voice of a curious, observant child, these poems are as much about the love among all the women of her family, as they tenderly share secrets and wisdom, as it is about hairstyles. She remembers her mother humming as she plaits her hair, using the curling iron to turn "straight into wavy," watching her great grandma weave black twine through her hair, and teasing her cousin about her dreadlocks. She describes her mama's "natural" hairstyle as "a continent" and "her glory on earth." When she asks for a definition of "good hair," she is lovingly told, "Why it's understood, Sister, if it's on your head it's good!" This child's world is full of beauty, and Smith's soft pastels convey that beauty perfectly. The illustrations glow with a sense of joy, comfort, and security. The author-illustrator collaboration took ten years to complete and the results are well worth the time and effort. One unfortunate typographical error in which "berets" is mistakenly used in place of "barrettes" does not in any way mar an otherwise delightful work. (author's note) (Picture book/poetry. 6-9)