Black Hair in Children's Literature: Graphic Novels

Winner of the 2023 Pura Belpré Award for Children's Text October 2022 Indie Bestseller New York Times-bestselling author Claribel A. Ortega and star debut artist Rose Bousamra's Frizzy is about Marlene, a young Dominican girl whose greatest enemy is the hair salon! Through her struggles and triumphs, this heartwarming and gorgeous middle-grade graphic novel shows the radical power of accepting yourself as you are, frizzy curls and all. Marlene loves three things: books, her cool Tía Ruby and hanging out with her best friend Camila. But according to her mother, Paola, the only thing she needs to focus on is school and "growing up." That means straightening her hair every weekend so she could have "presentable", "good hair". But Marlene hates being in the salon and doesn't understand why her curls are not considered pretty by those around her. With a few hiccups, a dash of embarrassment, and the much-needed help of Camila and Tia Ruby--she slowly starts a journey to learn to appreciate and proudly wear her curly hair.

Appeared on best of the year lists from The Washington Post, NPR, The Guardian, and more! Nominated for an NAACP Image Award and Winner of the Believer Book Award for Fiction! Hot Comb offers a poignant glimpse into Black women's lives and coming-of-age stories as seen across a crowded, ammonia-scented hair salon while ladies gossip and bond over the burn. The titular "Hot Comb" is about a young girl's first perm--a doomed ploy to look cool and stop seeming "too white" in the all-Black neighborhood her family has just moved into. In "Virgin Hair," taunts of "tender-headed" sting as much as the perm itself. "My Lil Sister Lena" shows the stress of being the only Black player on a white softball team. Lena's hair is the team curio, an object to be touched, a subject to be discussed and debated at the will of her teammates, leading Lena to develop an anxiety disorder of pulling her own hair out. Throughout Hot Comb, Ebony Flowers re-creates classic magazine ads idealizing women's need for hair relaxers and products. "Change your hair form to fit your life form" and "Kinks and Koils Forever" call customers from the page. Realizations about race, class, and the imperfections of identity swirl through these stories and ads, which are by turns sweet, insightful, and heartbreaking. Flowers began drawing comics while earning her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction, and her early mastery of sequential storytelling is nothing short of sublime. Hot Comb is a propitious display of talent from a new cartoonist who has already made her mark.

From writer Jamila Rowser and artist Robyn Smith comes a captivating graphic novel about the daily lives of four best friends in the Bronx, told through five interlocking short stories. "Wash Day" follows Kim through the quiet self-care rituals of her wash day--the universal experience shared by Black women of setting aside all plans and responsibilities for a full day of hair care. "Group Chat" sees Tanisha filling her many hours at the salon by texting her friends all her latest gossip. "Bright Side" is a quiet portrait of Davene missing a hair appointment as she struggles with her mental health and gets well-meaning, but misguided support from Cookie. In "La Bendición," Cookie receives an unexpected request from her estranged abuela and heals a family rift during a tender moment of hair care. "Ride or Die" takes place on Saturday night, when the girls have each other's backs as they head triumphantly to the club for Kim's big show.Inspired by her own wash day ritual and a desire to see more comics for and by women of color, Jamila Rowser collaborated with Robyn Smith to create the critically acclaimed mini comic, WASH DAY. In expanding the story of Kim and her friends, the authors pay tribute to Black sisterhood through portraits of shared, yet deeply personal experiences of Black hair care. Smith brings these stories to life in her art through thoughtful color choices, expressive storytelling, and deeply real characters. Full of tender, relatable, and laugh out loud funny moments, the stories of WASH DAY DIARIES pay a loving tribute to the beauty and resilience of Black women's hair and friendships.