'This Hair Belongs' presents an empowering message of beauty and belonging for Black hair. Alongside vibrant illustrations, the centuries-long histories and expansive future of Black hair are celebrated through lyrical and inspiring prose.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful story of representation for black girls and boys to appreciate and love their hair. It would be a great gift for a child, or great to include in a library or classroom.

This is more than just a story-- it's a real treasure. The gorgeous illustrations integrate the hair into the pictures, showing how everything is connected through time and place. The glossary has important cultural and historical information I don't usually see, written at a level so children can enjoy it. I recommend this book for every home and daycare and school.

MJ and I loved this celebration of Black hair and we saw so many types and styles represented along with the heritage and connection to Africa. The illustrations are stunning.

This beautiful book should receive a Caldecott for the art, poetry, and inspirational use of imagery. I loved reading about the history and aesthetics of African American hair and hairstyles. Readers will learn just as much from the author's notes and glossary that includes African geographical setings, manmade structures, and native plants in South Africa. While I knew a bit about hairstyles being used as code for enslaved people to find freedom, I was interested to learn that oral history shares that seeds were saved inside of braids as well.

This book is a treasure to read, and I highly recommend it for schools and libraries.

The visuals are gorgeous, absolutely stunning! As someone with African 4c hair, it’s hard to always love your hair when the world is constantly telling you, it’s child, masculine or unprofessional. So it’s nice seeing books like these even though they are for the little ones, they can be such a grounding affirmation for everyone with a crown.

So I’m definitely I’m getting this for myself and niece when it’s released.

PS: if someone is not yet at the stage of loving their hair, don’t shame or bully them into submission. The hate they have was enforced from an early age, so it will take some kindness and patience to unlearn

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. With the illustrations and the various hairstyles that children of color would wear was on point. Hair is very important to people of color, and this book proudly displays this importance. I believe the author not only used their own background in sharing the hairstyles but thought about others that she would experience.

There have been a number of books celebrating Black hair and hairstyles in recent years, but this stunning title is wonderfully unique among them. In it, the author encourages young readers to take pride in their Black hair, but also invites them to reflect on the ways in which it connects them to a powerful history both globally and in the United States. Her lyrical verses affirm that Black hair is beautiful, but also strong, resilient, and magical, and that it belongs--not only in the past and present, but in the future and imagined worlds as well. Robinson's illustrations enhance and uplift this message, and add truly breathtaking visuals to the text; the art is gorgeous in its composition and rich with texture, color, and vibrant patterns. In an author's note at the back, Brown-Wood shares a bit about her own journey of acceptance and self-love, and provides additional context and information about hair in general, caring for Black hair, and the historical references throughout the text.

"This hair belongs. This hair is magic." And so too, is this book.