Wanda (Wanda #1)

by Sihle Nontshokweni (Author) Chantelle And Burgen Thorne (Illustrator)

Wanda (Wanda #1)
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade
Series: Wanda

Skipping Stones Honor Award Winner 2021

An empowering picture book from South Africa about a young girl who overcomes endless teasing

Meet Wanda, with her beautiful head full of hair. She is brave and strong, but she's unhappy because of the endless teasing by the boys at school for her thorn bush and thunderstorm cloud. Through Grandma Makhulu's hair secrets and stories she finds the courage to face her fears and learn to appreciate that her hair is a crown' not a burden' and it is something to be proud of. This book is about identity and beauty, celebrating how cultural pride is learned and passed on over generations.

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Kirkus

Starred Review
An affirmation of Afro hair that speaks to Black girls all over the African diaspora ... With a bright color palette of yellow, pink, blue, aqua, and green, this story highlights Wanda's positive female relationships and role models and helps her understand who she is in a broader cultural context. This story also addresses systemic racism rooted in the apartheid system that lingers today in South African schools. A fine addition to the expanding body of picture books about Afro hair.

Publishers Weekly

In this uplifting South African import informed by the African proverb Intombi mayizithembe ("A young girl must always remain confident"), coauthors Nontshokweni and Tlali follow Wanda, an eight-year-old Black child who struggles to accept her hair: "My hair is a crown, but one made of thorns." Teased about her Afro-textured hair by classmates, and wary of her teacher's punishment for students with unstyled natural hair ("I will get a black dot on my star chart. She will say it's a bird's nest"), Wanda "makes the big switch" every day--transforming her "cloud" of hair into pigtail puffs while dreaming of a smoother texture. Wanda believes her mother's affirmations ("My mother says my hair is strong and beautiful like clouds"), but it isn't until she sees pictures of powerful women with hair just like hers that Wanda embraces her crown, as well as its styling "secret" of "water and 100% olive oil." Drawing strength from a new hairdo, Wanda marches onto the bus the next morning with newfound conviction. Chantelle and Burgen Thorne's striking illustrations capture intimate scenarios in bright colors. A worthy, if meandering, celebration of Afro-textured crowns that simultaneously exposes how Black children are sometimes penalized for their textured hair. Back matter includes a brief South African-English glossary. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)

Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1--It's hard for eight-year-old Wanda to remember that Mama calls her hair a crown when Sizwe and Thula tease her on the bus and even her teacher demands that she change her "cloud" to a style that's "neat and clean." After another stressful day at school, she arrives home tearful and dejected. Fortunately, her grandmother is there with encouragement and practical help. First, she shows Wanda pictures of glamorous Black women with a variety of hairstyles. Then she uses a special comb and styling techniques on Wanda's hair. Even Sizwe and Thula admit that the results make her look like a queen. Wanda and most of her classmates are Black, but her teacher is shown only in shadow. The colorful illustrations not only depict the story's events but also express Wanda's shifting thoughts and emotions that affect her self-image. The back matter explains "Intombi mayizithembe"--an African proverb that means, "A young girl must always remain confident." VERDICT Originally published in South Africa, this book offers an international perspective on acceptance and celebration of different kinds of beauty that could complement similar titles in all collections.--Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State Univ. Lib., Mankato

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes



Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781623718640
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Crocodile Books
Publication date
March 01, 2021
Series
Wanda
BISAC categories
JUV039140 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
JUV039230 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Bullying
JUV030010 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | Africa
Library of Congress categories
Self-confidence
Blacks
South Africa
Hair

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