Saturday at the New You by Barbara E. Barber

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Saturday at the New You by Barbara E. Barber.jpg
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Saturday at the New You was written by Barbara E. Barber. This book was published by Lee & Low Books in 2013. It has 32 pages and the weight is 0.3 pounds while the dimension is 10.67 x 8.44 x 0.12 inches.[1]

Summary

The New You beauty parlor, where Shauna spends her Saturdays helping her Momma, is the setting for this sweet slice of life in an African American neighborhood. Barber, a poet, and first-time children's author, brings bountiful atmosphere and sensuality to the text: The New You smells so good on Saturday mornings-like sweet peach shampoo and strawberry conditioner and fresh coffee. The lengthy stage setting is delectable-Mrs. Johnson snores happily under the dryer, enjoying ``the only time I can take a nap without being disturbed; ``It's a new you! Shauna says to the clients when they leave Momma's chair. Equally skilled in the art of ambience, Rich (Joshua's Masai Mask) paints with joie de vivre, imparting kindliness to every face. [2]

Pros

This book was an Award Winner Children's Book Selection of the Year. The illustration and the rich tones were lovely. This book generally represents the strength of the African American Community, the hair parlor is a big part of their Saturdays (it becomes a way of life), said Julian who rated this book five stars. The stories bring in other examples of businesswomen from the neighborhood who are taking Saturday afternoon to get spruced up. Girls enjoy playing with dolls in this book, act a little silly, and are devoted to their families. A Lee Low book set in an African American Beauty Shop tells the story of every woman and every girl spending time in curlers, lotion, and hot dryers to get the "New You", explained Kris Odahowski as one of the readers. [3]

An important aspect of this book is it’s slight sense of multiculturalism. All of the characters in the book are African American, and so some of the words in the book like Afro-comb, beads, and braids give the reader an idea of some different styles used on different kinds of hair. It was sweet how at the beginning of the story, the little girl says “mom says all hair is beautiful hair.” The main idea of this story was that it’s nice to be a good helper, as the little girl helps her mother in her salon once a week.[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Saturday At the New You. librarything.com. Retrieved January 28th, 2021
  2. Saturday at the New You. publishersweekly.com. Retrieved January 28th, 2021
  3. [1]. goodreads.com. Retrieved January 28th, 2021.