The barbershop is a place like no other. In “Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut,” written by Derrick Barnes and illustrated by Gordon C. James, that familiar chair becomes a place of transformation. You walk in one person and leave another.

Barnes writes in the second person, pulling young Black boys directly into the experience, the cape draped over their shoulders, the slow steady of the clippers, and what happens after. Grades go up. Confidence walks ahead of you into every room. The book doesn’t just honor getting a hair cut; it traces how it ripples outward into every corner of a boy’s life, his academics, his social world, his self esteem.

James’s oil paintings honor the men and boys in that chair, distinct hairstyles, faces full of personality, each portrait feeling less like an illustration and more like fine art. The imagery is as layered and expressive as Barnes’s rhythmic text, the two working together to build something that feels genuinely celebratory.

Kindergarten through third grade teachers will find in “Crown” a powerful tool for building up young Black boys and affirming what they already are. An audiobook version is available on Audible, and given the rhythm and energy of Barnes’s text, hearing it read aloud adds another dimension. A great option for families at home or teachers looking for a read-aloud alternative.