Today I have two books celebrating the rich history of Afro hair. First we travel back 5,000 years to the hair fashions of Ancient Egypt, then flash forwards to contemporary styles for textured hair such as hair puffs and halo braids.
‘The Story of Afro Hair,’ by K. N. Chimbiri, illustrated by Joelle Avelino (Scholastic)
The Story of Afro Hair celebrates the fashion and styles of Afro hair over the last 5,000 years.
From plaits to the Gibson Girl, cornrows to locks, the hi-top fade to funki dreds, The Story of Afro Hair is the ultimate book of Afro hairstories. Kicking off with an explanation of how Afro hair type grows and why, The Story of Afro Hair then takes us right back to the politics and fashion of Ancient Egypt. Speeding forwards to modern times we experience the Kingdom of Benin, Henry VIII‘s court, the enslavement of African peoples, the Harlem Renaissance, the beginnings of Rastafarianism, Britain in the 1980s – and much more.
This is a concise history of Afro hair, spanning millennia and bringing up us right up to date. I loved the combination of information about the social significance of certain hairstyles, alongside pioneers of Afro haircare, and political activists.
A great resource for answering children’s questions about why Afro hair grows the way it does and is styled the way it is. The ultimate book for inspiring understanding and pride. 8+
‘Cocoa Girl Awesome Hair,’ by Serlina Boyd (Farshore)
This title is written by Serlina Boyd (creator of the Cocoa Girl magazine) and is a celebration of beautiful textured hair, with step by step tutorials to amazing styles.
A celebration of natural hair, this book is filled with tips and features real life girls who love their hair. Spreads include care tips for keeping your hair in tip top condition, photographic step-by-step tutorials, ranging from easy to difficult styles and positive affirmations packed with reasons to love your amazing hair.
Discover the perfect corn rows, hair puffs, bubble braids and fro-hawks. Accessorise with beads, hairbands, ribbons and colourful hair extensions. Create amazing hairstyles for any occasion!
This book is a true celebration of the awesomeness of textured hair. Not only is it full of simple to follow instructions for creating a huge range of styles, it’s also packed with positive affirmations, haircare tips, and snippets of the cultural history of various styles.
A great guide for anyone aged 5+ looking for some hairspiration.
Library Girl.
*Many thanks to the publishers for sending me these titles to review*
Library Girl and Book Boy 
I am so happy I found your blog! Thank you! It is so important for every child to feel represented and I will be adding these to our nighttime storybook list. I recently came across a truly wonderful series for children (the chocolate covered series) by Nikki Cooper and the book that my daughter cannot get enough of is Chocolate Covered Courage with Blessings On Top https://nikkipcooper.com/ – This book takes you on an adventure with Davis and tackles important life lessons such as telling the truth and self-esteem. These books do a wonderful job of honoring current African American heroes and it shows African American children using emotional intelligent dialogue to solve disagreements. The illustrations are fun, the rhyming prose is clever and catchy and I enjoyed it as much as my daughter. I 1000000% recommend
LikeLiked by 1 person