J. D. and the Great Barber Battle
by J. Dillard
illustrated by Akeem S. Roberts
Informational Resources:
Author Information:
J Dillard’s Biography:
https://www.serendipitylit.com/clients/item/jd-dillard
Interview with J. Dillard about J.D. and the Great Barber Battle (4:51):
https://atlanta.cbslocal.com/video/5305615-focus-atlanta-j-d-and-the-great-barber-battle/
Illustrator Information:
Akeem S. Roberts’ Website:
http://www.akeemteam.com/about-ba
Activities & Resources:
Discussion Guide to J.D. and the Great Barber Battle (Penguin website):
Teaching Books Resources:
https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=78220#
Black Hair
A definitive timeline of the Black hair journey: 8 historic moments to remember:
https://www.stylist.co.uk/beauty/hair/black-hair-history-definitive-historic-moments/437183
Learn about Madam C.J. Walker (4:27):
https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=yDYObStkiCQ
Read a Biography of Madam C.J. Walker:
https://www.ducksters.com/biography/entrepreneurs/madamcjwalker.php
Watch Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry (6:48):
https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=kNw8V_Fkw28
Learn about African Hair (8:29):
https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=nS_Eo6RZ7HA
Hairstyling
Practice your braiding skills on a braiding board:
https://happyhooligans.ca/braiding-board-teach-kids-braid/
Learn about business
Business Games for Kids:
https://www.teachingkidsbusiness.com/resources/games/
Coffee Shop:
https://www.coolmathgames.com/0-coffee-shop
Business Strategy Games for kids:
https://www.learn4good.com/games/businesstycoon-free3.htm
MakerSpace Activities:
Create a portfolio of haircuts/hairstyles you like using Google Slides or Powerpoint
Wild Hair Creature Salon:
Yarn Hair:
https://www.firstpalette.com/quick-how-to/yarn-hair.html
Create a logo for J.D.’s Barber Business using Canva, Google Drawings, or art supplies.
J.D. loves comic books. Create a graphic novel version of your favorite chapter.
Discussion Questions:
Have you ever had a bad haircut? How did people react to your haircut?
Why do J.D.’s friends make fun of his haircut? Should friends do that to each other? Why or why not?
There is a saying: “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.”
How can we relate this saying to J.D.’s feelings about Jordan’s house?
Was it wise or foolish for J.D. to use hair clippers without permission? Explain.
How did the grand reveal and the reactions of his classmates make J.D. feel?
J.D.’s first instinct was to make fun of Jordan’s haircut. Why didn’t he make fun of it?
“At least you know people like you for you, not your things!” (page 50) What does this tell you about Jordan?
“Sometimes being a good friend was about talking, but other times it was about listening.” (page 59) When should you be a good friend who talks? When should you be a good friend who listens?
Why are kids choosing to have J.D. cut their hair rather than going to Hart and Son Barber Shop?
Why did Henry threaten to report J.D. to the Department of Health?
What is THE PLAN?
Why did Henry Jr. agree to J.D.’s challenge?
Why is J.D. confident he will win?
Why is Henry Jr. confident he will win?
Why is J.D. suddenly nervous after feeling so confident?
What impact does having his family and friends present at the competition have on J.D. and his performance?
Even though it felt great to be the Master Barber of Meridian, what did not feel great after the competition?
Why do you think seeing Henry Jr. at the New Meridian Buffet changed J.D.’s celebratory mood?
What deal does Henry Jr. offer J.D? Is it a fair deal? Explain.
Who is J.D.’s new competitor? Was she going to be an easier or harder competitor to beat? Why?
Book Talk Teasers:
Read the Reader’s Theater for J.D. and the Great Barber Battle.
Watch the book trailer embedded at the bottom of the page.
Read Alikes:
Hair
Barnes, Derrick D. Crown: an ode to the fresh cut. Celebrates the magnificent feeling that comes from walking out of a barber shop with newly-cut hair. (NoveList Plus)
Cherry, Matthew A. Hair Love. An ode to self-confidence and the love between fathers and daughters by the former NFL wide receiver depicts an exuberant little girl whose dad helps her arrange her curly, coiling, wild hair into styles that allow her to be her natural, beautiful self. (NoveList Plus)
Dillard, J. J.D. and the family business. Eight-year old kid barber J.D. joins forces with his sister, who has beauty shop dreams, to find stardom online. (NoveList Plus)
Moises, Yessenia. Stella’s stellar hair. Stella travels planet to planet visiting her aunties looking for a stellar hairdo for the Big Star Gala, but she is not convinced by any of their suggestions. (NoveList Plus)
Barbers
Burnard, Damon. Dave’s haircut. Fearful of his appointment with the local barber, Dave worries about all the different types of bad haircuts he could possibly get, and so decides to do something drastic. (NoveList Plus)
Dillard, J. J.D. and the hair show showdown. The youngest barber to be invited to the Beauty Brothers Hair Expo in Atlanta, 8-year-old J.D. discovers that the world of hair and beauty is so much bigger than he imagined–and he is ready to step up his game! (NoveList Plus)
McElligott, Matthew. Even monsters need haircuts. At night under a full moon, a child operates a barber shop with a monstrous clientele. (NoveList Plus)
Reviews:
Dillard, J. Illustrated by Akeem S. Roberts. J. D. and the Great Barber Battle. Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House/Penguin, 2021.
J. D. and the Great Barber Battle.
By J. Dillard. Illus. by Akeem S. Roberts.
Feb. 2021. 128p. Penguin/Kokila, $15.99 (9780593111529). Grades 1-3.
REVIEW. First published March 26, 2021 (Booklist Online).
Driven by the inexpert haircut he gets from his mom the day before he starts third grade, and by the ensuing widespread mockery from schoolmates, Black, eight-year-old James “J. D.” Jones tries his hand at self-barbering. So good are the results that he’s soon running a business from his bedroom, producing fades, emblems, and trendy cuts that the one actual barber shop in his small Mississippi town can’t match. When the barber, feeling understandably threatened, tries to shut him down, J. D. proposes a public competition: best two out of three, with the audience and the owners of the local beauty salon as judges. Aiming at fledgling chapter-book readers, Dillard, a professional “barberpreneur,” crafts a lively, hair-centric series opener that downplays messy complications to focus on the broad emotional (and financial) rewards of leveraging personal talents, taking pride in doing good work, and finding equitable ways to resolve conflicts. Roberts’ scenes of smiling, broad-faced figures in domestic or school settings reflect the tale’s genial tone. —John Peters
Used with the permission of Booklist https://www.booklistonline.com/