Picture Day

by Frances F. Jones

“Picture Day” expresses the confidence and loveCricket has for her hair. Cricket is proud to be whoshe is while enjoying the process of getting ready for her class photo.Cricket Curls is a series of children’s books dedicated to little girls and boys who love themselves and who they are becoming. This series aspires to encourage every child to shoot for the stars while loving who God created them to be!

31 pages, Paperback

First published January 10, 2014

Reviews

[Baby Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Hello, friends! Our book today is Picture Day by Frances F. Jones, a wonderful story about self-image and being proud of what makes you unique.

Cricket is a little girl with a big head of hair, lovely curls that she enjoys wearing in different ways. She likes when her curls are in big pigtails, or tightly braided with beads at the end, under a stylish hat, or just flowing free. As Cricket prepares for her school’s picture day, she takes time to pick out the perfect outfit – but what is the perfect way to wear her curls? Fortunately, her mom comes to the rescue, fixing Cricket’s curls into a fierce hairdo that will look perfect in her school photo.

This one is self-published, so it’s expectedly a little rough around the edges, especially where design is concerned. The illustrations are well-drawn in a cute style, but poorly colored in a way that is often distracting. The curlicue font, though a clever nod to the curl-positive theme of the story, makes reading the text difficult at times. However, the story is absolutely lovely – it’s a tale of a girl who loves the way she looks without question and takes pride in her ethnic hair, an important message for little ones of color who are bombarded with messages that encourage the opposite. The length is fine, and overall JJ enjoyed it, so it’s very easy to overlook its shortcomings. A rough aesthetic, but a great story about body/ethnic positivity that sticks the landing, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the author in exchange for an honest review.)

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!

[Anne Mukendi]

I don’t have much to say about this book. It was a really good book, but the main purpose of choosing this book was because the main character takes pride in her appearance. For picture day, she makes sure that she dresses well and is prepared. The pictures are nice, but they are safe. Nothing too bold is occurring in the book.