ABSTRACT
In late November 1998, many New Yorkers found themselves animated, divided, troubled, and confused by the news coverage of a young white teacher named Ruth Sherman and a children's book entitled Nappy Hair. The speed with which so many came to embrace this perspective made it virtually impossible, at the time, for a more thoughtful and rigorous discussion to take place about Sherman's teaching, the book Nappy Hair itself, and the complicated issue of cross-cultural dynamics. One important aspect of the story that was ignored was any critical discussion concerning the book Nappy Hair itself. In 1999, writer and critic bell hooks published her first children's book, Happy to Be Nappy, with Jump at the Sun, an imprint of Hyperion Books for Children. Though bell hooks also chose to use Black English, we immediately notice the difference between the overall tone and mood of Nappy Hair and Happy to Be Nappy.
