by Nancy Redd
Illustrated by Nneka Myers
Random House, 2020
32 pages
9781984895240
Ages 3-6
“In my family, when the sun goes down, our hair goes up!” The youngest member of an African American family describes how each person prepares their hair for bedtime. Her brother “twists and tightens” his locs before donning a durag; Sis combs her hair into a swirl atop her head before adding a wrap; Grandma puts in rollers; Mommy wraps her curls with a scarf; and Daddy wears a wave cap. Only Grandpa has no evening ritual for his bald head. After the narrator’s own hair is braided into a crown, the bedtime routine is interrupted as she searches for her missing bonnet, revisiting each family member to ask if they’ve seen it. Her quest ends with Grandpa, who hides behind his newspaper with the bonnet perched playfully on his head, to the amusement of all. Next morning, the process is reversed as each person tends to their daytime hair—even Grandpa shaves his scalp. Brightly hued, stylized illustrations reminiscent of animated film celebrate a loving family engaged in their rituals of hair care. ©2020 Cooperative Children’s Book Center