24 | Natural Kids
Lola at the Library by Anna Mcquinn and Rosalind Beardshaw Here is another wonderful book to foster a love of reading in a young child. Lola is a preschooler who can't wait for her visits to the local library every Tuesday. In addition to picking out her books, she also looks forward to story time and sing-a-longs. The wording is simple and very straight to the point. It's not a board book and does not rhyme, so it might not be suited to a very small toddler or infant. However, the illustrations are colourful, cheerful and resemble a painting. If you are in the UK, you may find this book under the title Lulu Loves the Library. Hair spotlight: Lola's short hair is arranged in precious little pigtails. Her mom's hair is thick and kinky, but she sports a head wrap for a good deal of the book. Daddy Goes to Work by Jabari Asim This book provides examples of three things we really do not see in many children's books: a focus on the entity of "Daddy", a successful African American adult male, and a close knit African American family. The story's plot involves a little girl accompanying her father to his workplace for a day. The day starts off with Daddy making breakfast for the family, followed by a ride on the subway to go to Daddy's office. The little girl meets her father's co-workers and assists him in making a presentation. The book ends with the pair heading home to have dinner with Mom. It's not a board book, but it is about medium length and has rhyming prose that may interest some older toddlers up to young school aged kids. Hair spotlight: The little girl is wearing a natural hairstyle of what appears to be cornrows and braids.