Princess Hair

Princesses with head wraps take long naps. Princesses with curls wear pearls. And princesses with teeny-weeny afros wear teeny-weeny bows. Debut author-illustrator Sharee Miller's picture book celebrates different shapes, textures, and styles of black hair, from dreadlocks, to blowouts, to braids (and more!), shining a spotlight on the beauty and diversity of black hair with playful, colorful illustrations and an endearing text with great read-aloud quality. Nearly twenty years ago, Natasha Tarpley and E. B. Lewis brought LBYR the evergreen, ever-selling I Love My Hair!, showing the need for books providing and encouraging self-affirmation for young black girls--and while I Love My Hair! helped to fill a gap, Princess Hair adds a more playful, contemporary offering to address this ongoing need in the market. While this is Sharee's first book as an author-illustrator, she has built a platform as an illustrator who celebrates black hair and young black readers, having illustrated the upcoming book by actress Quevenzhane Wallis (of Beasts of the Southern Wild and Annie fame). Sharee's prolific talents could help her become a strong brand for picture books celebrating young black readers on our list. Discovered as a self-published book, Princess Hair has been added as a Fall 2017 drop-in title, fast-tracked for hardcover publication.