A Boy and His Mirror

by Marchánt Davis, Keturah A. Bobo (Illustrator)

The bestselling illustrator of I Am Enough brings to life the story of a boy whose mirror gives him a whole new way of seeing himself.

Chris loves his long, curly hair, so why do his classmates tease him about it? When he looks for answers in his mirror, something wonderfully wild and weird happens: a lady appears with wise words that make him feel like a king! But when he starts acting like a king at school, it's time for another visit to the mirror.

Marchánt Davis's uplifting picture book debut encourages us all to look beyond hairstyles--reminding us that styles come and go--and to celebrate one another for who we are. #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Keturah A. Bobo's stunning art brings Chris and his mirror to vibrant life.

Genres: Picture Books, African American, Childrens, Self Esteem, Friendship, Fantasy, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

Published January 3, 2023

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this so much more…

I always get excited whenever new books about Black children loving themselves and their physically features unapologetically are released. The amount of things that some of these kids will experience before they graduate high school is astonishing. This is no different than the other books that we gotten about Black hair. It follows a little boy who gets bullied for his hair but gets his confidence back when he meets with a seemingly magic woman in the mirror.

The cadence and the rhyming scheme in this were not good at all. It worked well on some pages and then they wouldn’t on others. This was a huge disappointment because it takes readers out of the story making the writing feel extremely clunky. There wasn’t necessarily anything new provided compared to the books that already exist about Black hair. Overall, this was a solid read. It just needed some work.

[Elora Von · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marchánt Davis

This book was it for me! Gorgeous illustrations and a beautiful story and message. This translates to everyone... no matter the skin color or shape. It's about embracing who you are and finding that deeper meaning which makes you special, so you can share that beauty with others.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book means a lot to me on a very basic level. Here we have a boy who really enjoys having long hair. I loved the illustrations because it made his hair a glorious, beautiful thing. People around him had a harder time understanding his hair though and were sometimes kind of harsh and critical.

What I loved about this book (and what makes it personal) was that no in authority in his life made any noises about cutting his hair off. Hallelujah, we can enjoy who we are, and we can enjoy our hair in the way we like best!

I had super long hair as a kid, and it was fairly curly - and when my hair was like that, my mom cut it all off (so I could 'fit in better' during a time when no one had hair like that. This because a very big battle which lasted into adulthood where my mom continued to address my hair and how it 'should' look without ever asking the important question here: does my hair make me happy?

I love that this boy found a way to embrace his hair as part of who he is. At the same time, he also never tried to force his hair on anyone else, with the declaration everyone's hair is wonderful too. Yay, let's all be individuals!

Great message, great story. I'm dropping a star because sometimes the rhyming text feels really forced, which takes away a little of the enjoyment of the story. I almost wish this was prose because I don't want the message to become lost. Otherwise, this is a great book for kids who like expressing who they are through their hair.

[Sirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chris loves his long curly hair, but none of the other kids think it's cool. Chris takes the advice of his mirror and looks into the history and culture of afro hairstyles, but ultimately, he realizes that kindness and acceptance go hand in hand.

This book has a really great idea. I'm a little skeptical of a magic mirror suggesting the solution, even if the child is still the hero. Magical realism is fun, but it also takes skill to pull off well, and this one doesn't feel well integrated. I loved the illustrations, and while I'm not a huge fan of the rhyming, the words were powerful and remind readers that acceptance is cool no matter who you are.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The positive message of this story about self-image is marred by the cloying rhyme scheme. Though colorful, the illustrations are a bit odd, too. The appearance of the woman in the golden mirror is not just “a little weird,” but also somewhat disconcerting as the boy looks at himself. Granted, the golden mirror is reflecting ancestral wisdom, yet it seems like a king would be more appropriate to appear than a queen or grandmother, especially when the boy could use some kingly advice about how to manage his mane.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd probably give this 3.5 stars so I rounded up. This reminded me a lot of the story of Princess Gabby Girl and the Sparkly Dress . A boy whose getting teased for his big beautiful hair is visited by a wise elder in the mirror. They tell him to be proud like a king. Chris tries, but he really doesn't know what being a king means. Once again he is given advice from the mystical elder in the mirror and then he figures it out.

[Hannah]

The art here is absolutely beautiful, and I'm always here for a story about kids of color loving how they look. But the meter and rhyme is such a hot mess that it's nearly unreadable in my head, let alone if you wanted to do it as a readaloud. And it gets a little toooooo precious sometimes. Meh.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet story about loving every part of you which includes the boy's big hair. He gets made fun of but a woman in the mirror as well as his mother encourage him to feel himself and love his hair, which he does. Here, representation matters and similar to Crown and Hair Love, it's an homage to all the ways people wear their hair.

[SamSamSam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this. "Dang, it's only hair!" The number of times I have had this thought when people say rude things about my hair, I swear.
I wish fewer picture book authors tried to rhyme their books in general, and it's possible that this would have been better in prose, but I was actually impressed with what Davis was able to accomplish here.

[Margaret Boling · Rating 3 out of 5]

1/7/2024 ~ Keturah Bobo's distinctive illustrations bring life to the otherwise uninspiring text. I appreciated the idea of the boy's connections to his heritage through the mirror. I also was struck by the ways he interpreted the advice (kids don't always hear / perceive what their adults said.) In general, this might have been a stronger story if it were written in prose.

[Jared White · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a little cheesy and the text was just a bit clumsy but it had a good message and I really liked some of the illustrations. They were cute and some of them had great diversity (wonderful racial diversity and in one picture there's a boy wearing a kippah and a girl wearing a hijab).

[Kelly]

I like the message behind this book - be who you are regardless of how you look. Be confident. The rhyming is just okay, not always in rhythm. Yes, I know that's a lot to ask for, but this is a published book.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a little nod to Snow White and the mirror on the wall in this book - except that it’s a young boy looking for advice about how to make friends at school despite having different hair.

Although the final solution seems a bit simplified, it’s still a cute book and message.

[Christie Angleton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Didactic and saccharine. The rhyme scheme was clunky af and forced in much of the text. A lot of potential here, but it ultimately failed. There are better books that do the same thing so much more powerfully.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy with long hair is teased at school. How can he change the situation? With the help of the woman in his mirror, things improve. He even makes a few friends by following her advice.

[Dylan Teut · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forced rhymes, a very clunky meter, and the smack of a heavy-handed message makes this one difficult to read and enjoy. Loved the illustrations.

[KMitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in verse, a young child learns about self-acceptance, standing up to bullies/teasing, and making friends.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

The rhymes are often forced, and the self-acceptance and anti-bullying messages are sincere but heavy-handed. The illustrations are lovely, though.

[Clementine · Rating 3 out of 5]

gorgeous illustrations and a lovely message. the prose here, especially when it comes to the meter and the rhyme, are a complete mess. did anyone even try reading this aloud first?

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love that went that route. Mystical majestic :)

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute rhyming book with a great message about self-esteem.

[skcocnaH · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5. I don’t like when books rhyme for the sake of rhyming. Good content, not my favorite delivery.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A positive message, but a text plagued with ckunky, forced rhymes.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for self-esteem. Rhyming text with an encouraging message.

[Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked that it had lot's of rhymes. I like you can walk like a king and not be cruel at the same time.