Tarpley, Natasha Anastasia. I Love My Hair. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. Little, Brown, 1997. ISBN 0-316-52275-9. $14.95. 32 pp. B Pre-3 PB Reviewed by Cinda Clement A young African-American girl talks about her hair and the different ways she can wear it. This doesn't sound too interesting, does it? With language of simile, such as planting rows of braids like seeds in a garden, hair thick as a forest, or curly as vines curling upward, and illustrations that fill the pages with fanciful pictures of hair, gardens, vines, the world, and a smiling girl, the book is interesting. The book is simple but beautiful. The story will be enlightening to children who have never considered the textures and possibilities of hair different from their own. This story will help African-American children accept a part of themselves in this white-oriented culture. I can't imagine the same book written about white children's hair. That in itself is something to consider.
