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Salon Saturday
  • Published: 21 October 2025
  • ISBN: 9780593526330
  • Imprint: Viking
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 32
  • RRP: $36.99

Salon Saturday

Formats & editions
EBook
23 Sept 2025
Hardback
21 Oct 2025
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A picture book that celebrates the community built at the hair salon and the dynamic variety of natural hairstyles!

A picture book that celebrates the community built at the hair salon and the dynamic variety of Black hairstyles!

Today is the day!

A little girl’s first trip to the salon is a rite of passage, but choosing a new hairstyle is feeling like an impossible task! There are so many styles to choose from—bobs, buns, coils, fros, and more. And according to Grandma, Momma, and Sissy, choosing the best one means thinking about ease, lifestyle, and personality…It’s A LOT to think about!

When the options seem overwhelming, the young girl decides to search for what feels right today, and that there’s always a future salon visit to try something new. While admiring the three loving women who have guided her through this big day, she finally sees it…her own kind of beautiful!

From coils and long locs to waves and braids, Salon Saturday offers a vibrant portrayal of Black hairstyles, cherishing them as both a ritual and an ever-evolving journey of self-expression.
  • Published: 21 October 2025
  • ISBN: 9780593526330
  • Imprint: Viking
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 32
  • RRP: $36.99
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About the authors

Janelle Harper

Janelle Harper is passionate about creating stories that reflect the children in her Bronx community. She finds inspiration in life’s rhythms, city living, and the diverse experiences of the African diaspora. When she’s not thinking about her next book, Janelle is enthusiastically playing along with TV game shows and planning her next trip across the globe.

Frank started his journey as a graffiti artist in New Jersey, tagging walls with spray paint. It wasn’t until he visited the Louvre Museum in Paris with his dancing group that he realized painting was his true creative path. His work has been featured at Art Basel, SCOPE Art Show, and Red Dot Miami art fair, and shown at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City and the Mason Fine Art gallery in Atlanta, Georgia.

He is the illustrator of over twenty children’s books, including the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winners Standing in the Need of Prayer and R-E-S-P-E-C-T, the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award winner Jazzy Miz Mozetta, and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor books Little Melba and Her Big Trombone and Let the Children March. Frank was a Society of Illustrators’ Original Art Silver Medal Honoree two years in a row, for The Roots of Rap and R-E-S-P-E-C-T. His debut author-illustrated picture book is Kick Push.
JH

Praise for Salon Saturday

Praise for Salon Saturday by Janelle Harper and Charlot Kristensen:

"This book is perfect for a lapsit or storytime that focuses on littles finding beauty in themselves, community traditions, and connections to elders." -BCCB Reviews

"An upbeat introduction to a beloved rite of passage." -Kirkus Reviews

Praise for My Block Looks Like by Janelle Harper and Frank Morrison:

*"The artist’s careful attention to detail and the shifting visual perspectives in action scenes bring Harper’s musical text to life. The narrator argues convincingly for the Bronx as 'the coolest place I’ve ever been,' where 'dreams rise higher than the smog' and neighbors 'sparkle under streetlamps.' A culturally rich and beautifully illustrated child’s-eye view of home." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

*"Kinetic, portrait-filled art from Morrison (Breaking to the Beat!) reveals the neighborhood’s sights (double Dutch, the Icee man, pickup games), vibrantly conveying the essence of the protagonist’s home: "my city/ my hood/ my block. My home/ my village/ my family/ my friends/ my soul." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

*"Harper’s block (she hails from the Bronx) is alive, aptly called "my soul," and supported by Morrison’s images and warm colors, a refreshing invitation to visit or imagine this vivid, memorable place." --The Horn Book, starred review

"Dynamic details and an expansive sense of possibility . . . A caring depiction of urban life that will resonate with listeners who love the bustling energy and beauty of the place they call home." --BCCB Reviews

"Morrison paints vibrant spreads . . . The poetic text reads like a song and makes for a perfect read-aloud story . . . A positive and uplifting book that can be appreciated by all readers." --School Library Journal