Natalie's Hair Was Wild

Reviewed by: Sarah Cropley - Scarborough Public Library, Scarborough, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: June 12, 2018

Review

Natalie's Hair Was Wild stars Natalie, a young black girl with wild hair. She can't keep it contained and so she lets larger and larger animals come to live in her hair from birds and butterflies right up to tigers and giraffes. All the while the text assures that Natalie doesn't care. Finally, she can't sleep or think because of all the loud noise and so she calls the zoo and fire department to help her tame her wild hair--for a little while at least. There is a historically tricky precedence of calling the hair of black people wild. Though author/illustrator Laura Freeman based this book on her own experiences, it's still a tall order for a simple book to reclaim the word wild and Natalie's Hair was Wild! is not up to the task. The illustrations are adorable and full of life. This book might be useful in a more grown up discussion, but a note of caution should certainly be applied about where and when this book should be shared.

Overall Book Score: fair