Wavy, Curly, Kinky: The African American Child's Hair Care Guide.

Wavy, Curly, Kinky: The African American Child's Hair Care Guide by Deborah R. Lilly Wiley, November 2005 $14.95, ISBN 0-471-69534-3

The author offers suggestions about relaxing, pressing or texturing your daughter's or stepdaughter's hair, addressing all hair types. (One chapter is dedicated to little boys.)

This book answers questions that would normally have to be answered by a professional hairstylist. The cutest things about this book are the comments at the beginning of each chapter where children of various ages express their feelings, memories or ideas regarding hair care. The author provides solid information about basic hair care, but after the fourth chapter, the information becomes redundant; and unfortunately, the black-and-white photos are not enough to keep the reader's attention. For certain, this is not a book that can be read from beginning to end. It's a good thing there are chapter titles and an index to help the readers find information quickly. Regrettably, only one chapter is devoted to the nutrition necessary to produce healthy hair.

--Reviewed by Jacqueline Leslie Jacqueline Leslie, an intern at BIBR, lives in Brooklyn and is a graduating senior at Medgar Evers College, pursuing a B.A. in English. She will attend graduate school in the fall.