Family Ties, Black Beauty Celebrated in New Self-Published
Titles | Indie Voices
www.slj.com /2016/08/books-media/family-ties-black-beauty-celebrated-in-new-self-published-titles-indie-voices/
Indie Voices is a quarterly column dedicated to exploring and recommending self-published children’s books that
offer diverse and inclusive perspectives.
It’s difficult to break into the business of making children’s books. That goes double for people of color, queer
authors, the differently abled, and/or those creating stories about people who identify with one or more of those
categories. Self-publishing can give voice to marginalized people who may be overlooked by mainstream publishing.
Below, I recommend a handful of self-published titles whose skillful presentations of diverse stories make them
worthy purchase for libraries serving children.
This time, I highlight an affecting middle grade family drama, a picture book about donor-conceived children, and
four works that celebrate beautiful black hair—a trend that will find an eager readership.
BROWN, C. Punch. Pineapple Sugar. 168p. Darby and Allen Publishing Company. 2016. Tr $14.99. ISBN
9780997277401.
Safiri is a child with an impossible task: to get through seventh grade knowing her mother may not have much
longer to live. Can her mother’s words about “pineapple sugar”—the knowledge that good and bad, sour and sweet,
always go together in life—help her find hope? Brown’s moving middle grade novel is raw and honest in its portrayal
of anticipating the loss of a beloved parent, and readers will appreciate the depiction of an African-American family
coming together with warmth and love.
LIU-TRUJILLO, Robert. Furqan’s First Flat Top/el primer corte de mesita de Furqan. illus. by author. 40p. Come
Bien Books. 2016. Tr $15.95. ISBN 9780996717809.
Furqan is ready for his first haircut, and even though he knows exactly what he wants—a flat top like Marcus’s!— he
can’t help but feel nervous. What will his new hair look like? Liu-Trujillo has illustrated several books, but this is the
first he’s both written and illustrated, and his love for the subject shows in his warm, detailed watercolors of a happy
father and son. In English and Spanish.
MILLER, Sharee. Princess Hair. illus by author. 32p. CreateSpace. 2014. Tr $16.00. ISBN 9781500778101.
The first of three books in this column expressing love for black girls’ hair. Sharee Miller draws hair skillfully enough
to show the difference between braids, twists, and dreadlocks, and her delightful pen-and-ink illustrations radiate joy
and movement.
OLAJIDE, Tina. Emi’s Curly, Coily, Cotton Candy Hair. illus. by Courtney Bernard. 32p. CreateSpace. 2014. Tr
$8.99. ISBN 9781503144941.
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Olajide’s love letter to black hair centers on Emi, whose hair is varied in texture from twisty to springy to “fluffy like
cotton candy.” Emi warmly narrates the process of having her hair done by her mother, from combing out the tangles
to shampoo and conditioner to creating her chosen style: twists. Courtney Bernard’s bold illustrations glow with
happiness through every step.
ROE, Mechal Renee. Happy Hair. illus. by author. 34p. Mechal Roe. 2014. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780991621118.
Here’s your storytime pick: a call-and-response style picture book about puffs, wraps, and Bantu knots. Each page
has a short rhyme—“smart girls/ cool curls,/cute crop/ don’t stop,”—to which the response is always “I love being
me!” Roe’s cartoony digital art will be embraced on sight, perhaps literally. This is an easy book to love, and comes
in hardcover to boot.
TYNER, Christy. Zak’s Safari: A Story of Donor-Conceived Kids of Two-mom Families. illus. by Ciaee. 32p.
CreateSpace. 2014. Tr 15.00. ISBN 9781502325464.
“Some families have a mom and a dad, so they already have the sperm and egg that they need to make a baby…
Some families have one or two moms. They already have the egg, so they need the sperm.” Zak, a brown skinned
child with two moms, narrates this sublimely inclusive, child-friendly explanation of where babies come from when
the parents aren’t one mom and one dad. Ciaee’s retro-inspired art is charming and full of delight. Every library
serving families should own this title.
To submit titles for consideration in the next
Indie Voices column, please send review copies to the attention of
School Library Journal / Amy Martin: 123 William Street, Suite 802 New York, NY 10038.
Amy Martin is the children’s collection management librarian for the Oakland Public Library, CA.
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