Raising Readers: Mirrors and Windows
My Hair is a Book by Maisha Oso | Illustrated by London Ladd
In her recent children's book, My Hair is a Book, Maisha holds mirrors and opens windows. Confidence in Black girls, young and mature, grows and strengthens by teaching them (and others) the beauty and power of our hair, which genuinely tells an empowering story. There was an unwritten rule that the global standard of beauty was European and European alone, but with stories like Maisha’s along with the illustrations of London Ladd, little Black girls around the globe get to see themselves reflected positively in a beautiful picture book and some of the omitted history that coincides with it. Maisha wrote this book for her daughter and all the little girls (and the little girls women carry) to know that as a Black female, you can rock your hair in various styles and look amazing! We do not have to conform to European standards of beauty. We are beautiful because we are descendants of beauty, an enriched culture(s) that infused heritage and pride passed down generationally. Maisha also talked about her vision of this book being in hair salons to remind Black women of their beauty and that our image and likeness is art.
Priceless Facts About Money by Mellody Hobson | Illustrated by Caitlin Stevens
Money is a necessary resource, and we should learn its origins and how it is connected worldwide. Mellody’s recent children’s book does just that, and it’s not only for kids. This book includes a lot of what we should have learned in primary grades as children to help build our financial literacy, especially in marginalized communities. Mellody tells the currency story engagingly and briefly describes her childhood experience with the resource. Little Mellody and her accompaniment, John, take the reader through the evolution of money, like the various materials used to pay for goods and services and how money is produced, circulated, and retired, particularly in the United States of America by the U.S. Treasury. This book is an excellent resource for personal and public libraries that can help provide generations with access to the building blocks of financial literacy. Mellody also holds a mirror that allows marginalized people to see themselves and simultaneously opens windows to life’s possibilities.
Brittany is a book lover with a continuously expanding To Be Read (TBR) List. Her unofficial love language is good food! She lives in an Atlanta suburb with her husband, two daughters, and fur baby.