Name: Crown
ISBN: 9781572842243

Derrick D. Barnes

Celebrates the magnificent feeling that comes from walking out of a barber shop with newly-cut hair.

An Ode to the Fresh Cut

Crown

Kim Tyo-Dickerson

One of my Newbery Reading Challenge books for 2020!

Maura

Title: Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut
Author: Derrick Barnes. Illustrated by Gordon C. James
Genre: Children's Literature
Hook:
Ever feel like you could conquer the world after getting a new haircut? This book encapsulates the amazing feeling and swagger one receives after visiting the barber for a "fresh new do." With beautiful illustrations and verse, it shows the confidence a haircut can give, the community found in a barber shop and the pride embedded in African hairstyles.

Three words or phrases that best describe this book:
- Confidence
- Verse
- Pride

Derrick Barnes

Named one of the best books of 2017 by NPR, the Huffington Post, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, the Horn Book Magazine, the News & Observer, BookPage, Chicago Public Library, and more The barbershop is where the magic happens. Boys go in as lumps of clay and, with princely robes draped around their shoulders, a dab of cool shaving cream on their foreheads, and a slow, steady cut, they become royalty. That crisp yet subtle line makes boys sharper, more visible, more aware of every great thing that could happen to them when they look good: lesser grades turn into As; girls take notice; even a mother’s hug gets a little tighter. Everyone notices. A fresh cut makes boys fly. This rhythmic, read-aloud title is an unbridled celebration of the self-esteem, confidence, and swagger boys feel when they leave the barber’s chair—a tradition that places on their heads a figurative crown, beaming with jewels, that confirms their brilliance and worth and helps them not only love and accept themselves but also take a giant step toward caring how they present themselves to the world. The fresh cuts. That’s where it all begins. Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut is a high-spirited, engaging salute to the beautiful, raw, assured humanity of black boys and how they see themselves when they approve of their reflections in the mirror.

Crown An Ode to the Fresh Cut

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