Agirl arrives at the barbershop with hair everywhere and leaves with the freshest fade.

The adventure starts when the narrator walks into the barbershop, where Black folks are working, styling, sitting, and talking. The child sits and asks for “THE FRESHEST FADE UP ON THE BLOCK!” Instead of getting right to it, the hairdresser suggests other options—a trim, an Afro, cornrows— and cuts bit by bit. As the girl’s hair slowly gets shorter, other patrons suggest different options, like spikes, twists, or locs. Time passes as the suggestions keep pouring in, and the hairdresser and the child’s mother become visibly distressed. Finally, it all comes to an end when the child’s hair is short enough for her to say, “Just line me up.” The rhyming text is great fun to read, with perfect rhythm and style, though at times it can be slightly difficult to tell who is talking. The call and response detailing myriad creative Black hairstyles is both a humorous romp and a glorious celebration of Black beauty. The gentle message of a girl choosing her own look despite others’ attachment to her long hair is neither lost nor overdone. Thomas’ illustrations attend to every detail and exude energy, community, and warmth as they cycle through interesting characters and the narrator’s many different looks en route to her chosen fade. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

This fun, powerful, and empowering tale belongs on every shelf. (Picture book. 3-8)

-Kirkus Review

"Yesterday at ten o'clock,
I walked into the barbershop.
My bushy, brownish, biggish hair
was growing almost everywhere."

The kid in this story knows exactly what she wants: "The freshest fade on the block!" But she has trouble getting the adults to believe her, and has to inch them toward her vision - "a little more off the top" - until it's achieved.

See also: Crown by Derrick Barnes (PB), Frizzy by Claribel Ortega (MG GN), Don't Touch My Hair by Sharee Miller, Hair Love by Matthew Cherry ( )