David Petechuk

Literary Merit: Okay
Characterization: N/A
Recommended: No
Level: High School

This title is one in a series of non-fiction books called "A girl's guide" that talks about various topics:

Social Media
High/Low Fashion
Nail Care and Design
Hair Care and Styling
Makeup and Skin Care
Vintage Fashion
Take Better Selfies

While there are a couple redeeming qualities, my overall impression of this series is one of disappointment. Here are the pros and cons.

Pros:
1. Further reading articles in the back of each book.
2. Index in each book.
3. Glossary in each book.
4. Visually appealing covers.
5. Overall, reads as informative and written in a relatable manner.

Cons:
1. Not inclusive. At all. The overwhelming majority of photos in this series are of white girls. There are (maybe) one or two photos in each that display a POC. Even more disappointing is the title "Hair Care and Styling" wherein the author completely negates the care and styling of African American hair (or any texture other than Caucasian). In "Nail Care and Design" the only POC is an Asian woman giving a manicure. Seriously? "Take Better Selfies" focuses heavily on superficial factors, including tips on how to look slimmer, to make your arms and shoulders look smaller, to hide belly fat, and conceal cankles to name a few (p. 17-18). There are no plus sized or disabled people featured in this series.
2. The facts stated in this series are not cited anywhere. Huge red flag. There is not a works cited page at the end or anywhere within the body of the work.
3. The colors of the pages are jarring against each other, e.g. a navy blue page with black text adjacent to salmon pink page.
4. The text in certain text boxes is difficult to read.… (más)