Bedtime Bonnet

“In my family, when the sun goes down, our hair goes up,” begins this story about a intergenerational black family’s nighttime hair routines. The youngest, an expressive girl sporting two Afro puffs, introduces readers to her family as they begin readying for bed. Her brother “twists and tightens each of his locs” before donning a durag, while Sis “combs her hair in a swirl” before putting it in a wrap. Her father’s brush “makes rows of black waves appear,” her grandmother “rolls up her silver mane,” and her mother “gathers her corkscrew curls” before each adds their own covering (wave cap, kerchief, scarf). Wearing her own hair in a freshly braided crown, the girl discovers that her bedtime bonnet, which helps “protect my hair from tangles and lint,” is missing. A search begins, the whole family pitching in until the purple cap is found in an amusing spot. Redd’s family represents a range of varying hair textures and care routines, while Myers’s vibrant illustrations bring the close-knit crew and their daily rituals to affectionate life. Ages 3–7. [em](Apr.) [/em]