Frizzy

Genre/Award/Honor

Pura Belpre Children’s Author Winner

Age Group

Pre-K – 6th

Plot Summary

Marlene likes her hair just the way it is – curly. But Marlene’s mother believes that “good hair” must be straight and perfectly coiffed. With help from Tia Ruby, Marlene learns why the weekly salon visits are so important to her mom, and Marlene’s mom learns how to appreciate their natural beauty.

Justification

Frizzy is the 2023 Pura Belpre Children’s Author Winner. My son is biracial and hates his curly hair, so I read it hoping to find some wisdom that would help him appreciate his cute curls.

Format

I chose to read Frizzy in my library’s digital reader, Libby, because there was a lengthy hold list for the physical book at the library. The electronic copy was available, so I decided to try it. This was my first experience reading a graphic novel in Libby, and I was skeptical about how enjoyable the experience would be. I quickly realized that unlike previous graphic novels I read in the Kindle app, in Libby, the entire page was available without having to scroll from frame to frame, yet it was still large enough to be readable. I was pleased to find that using Libby on my tablet was just as enjoyable as reading a trade paperback.

Illustration

The illustrations themselves are simple, with few background details, allowing the reader to focus on the expressions of the characters. Bousamara chose a pastel palette of pink, brown, and mint green. The colors are perfect to convey Marlene’s youthful femininity. It also reflects her mother’s views of what a young girl should look like. When Marlene daydreams about being a superhero, or visits her aunt, who she adores, the colors expand to include more dramatic reds and purples.

Character

We meet Marlene on page 1 of the book, scowling, arms crossed, sitting with curlers in her hair under the hair dryer at “El Salon”. We learn why Marlene hates the salon: her hair tangles easily, so it is painful. Marlene also likes her tight curls, which her mom, Paola, says are “bad”. As the graphic novel progresses, Marlene goes behind her mom’s back to try and style her curls with a friend, but it goes terribly wrong. Paola realizes that it’s time to enlist the help of Tia Ruby, Marlene’s favorite aunt. While Ruby is helping Marlene learn how to style her natural curls, she also helps Marlene understand about anti-blackness and Paola’s insistence that straight hair is “good” hair. Both Marlene and Paola grow and learn to empathize with each other.

References

Ortega, C. (2022) Frizzy. (R. Bousamra, Illus.) First Second.