Bippity Bop Barbershop

In this companion book to the bestselling I Love My Hair, a young boy, Miles, makes his first trip to the barbershop with his father. Like most little boys, he is afraid of the sharp scissors, the buzzing razor, and the prospect of picking a new hairstyle. But with the support of his dad, the barber, and the other men in the barbershop, Miles bravely sits through his first haircut. Written in a reassuring tone with a jazzy beat and illustrated with graceful, realistic watercolors, this book captures an important rite of passage for boys and celebrates African-American identity.

Praise for Bippity Bop Barbershop:

“…The book is filled with cheerful and loving scenes of home and community, and remarkably expressive portrayals of men going about their business, tending shop, or awaiting their turns in the barber chair.”
— School Library Journal

“…Written in first person from Miles’ point of view, the text clearly conveys the child’s sensations and observations as well as his fears and his way of working through them. In addition, the book vividly portrays the boy’s warm relationship with his father. The light-dappled watercolor paintings give the scenes a real sense of place, while bringing the characters to life through the sensitive depiction of expressions, gestures, and body language. A child-centered story, well paced and beautifully illustrated.”
— Booklist starred review

“What Natasha Anastasia Tarpley did for the mother-daughter bond in I Love My Hair! she now does for father and son in Bippity Bop Barbershop, illus. by E.B. Lewis. One full-bleed watercolor spread depicts three generations of men draped in purple barber’s capes, each with his own distinguished hairstyle.”
— Publishers Weekly

“Tarpley is very sharp in catching the moods and rituals of the barbershop. . . There aren’t many of these safe harbors left out there in the everyday world, and Tarpley celebrates well their survival. And their steadiness and warmth are equally applauded in Lewis’s sure-handed watercolors. . .”
— Kirkus Reviews