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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
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J.D. AND THE BREAT BARBER BATTLE

J. Dillard Akeem S. Roberts

Eight-year-old J.D. turns a tragic home haircut into a thriving barber business in this hilarious new illustrated chapter book series.
J.D. has a big problem--it's the night before the start of third grade and his mom has just given him his first and worst home haircut. When the steady stream of insults from the entire student body of Douglass Elementary becomes too much for J.D., he takes matters into his own hands and discovers that, unlike his mom, he's a genius with the clippers. His work makes him the talk of the town and brings him enough hair business to open a barbershop from his bedroom. But when Henry Jr., the owner of the only official local barbershop, realizes he's losing clients to J.D., he tries to shut him down for good. How do you find out who's the best barber in all of Meridian, Mississippi? With a GREAT BARBER BATTLE!

From the hilarious and creative mind of J. Dillard, an entrepreneur, public speaker, and personal barber, comes a new chapter book series with characters that are easy to fall for and nearly impossible to forget. Akeem S. Roberts' lively illustrations make this series a must-buy for reluctant readers.

J. Dillard (known as the "Barberpreneur") is a former managing partner for ConAllegiance, a consulting firm based out of Atlanta, Georgia. He is a master barber, a certified consultant, and an industry leader who started cutting his own hair at the age of ten. After many trials and tribulations, he began cutting hair professionally in 1999 and became a shop owner while attending college at Tuskegee University in Alabama. He travels the country with his clients as a personal barber and calls Atlanta home. This is his first book series for children.

Akeem S. Roberts is an illustrator based in Brooklyn. He works as an in-house animator for Holler Studios and contributes cartoons regularly to The New Yorker. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina. When Akeem is not working, he likes to eat food (who doesn't?), drink coffee, and make comics about his day-to-day life on Instagram.
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Published 2021-02-23 by Kokila

Comments

J.D. AND THE BREAT BARBER BATTLE is a School Library Journal Best Books of 2021 New York Public Library Best Books of 2021 Chicago Public Library Best Books of 2021 Publishers Weekly holiday gift guide: Children's & YA

J.D. and the Great Barber Battle has been shortlisted for the Iris Award 2022 in the chapter book category! Read more...

A surefire win of a read expressly made for young Black boys to cherish.

Dillard has a sharp ear for dialogue, and J.D.'s conversational narration paired with the story's gentle humor and perfectly placed pop culture references will ensure a wide appeal. Akeem S. Roberts' cartoon-style illustrations of J.D. and his friends are packed with personality and make this a great choice for readers transitioning into chapter books. The first book in a planned series, J.D. and the Great Barber Battle feels like a winner.

This early-to-middle-grade chapter book is full of laugh-out-loud moments. At its heart is J.D.'s loving, hardworking, multigenerational family... W]ill resonate with readers of all ages... the joyful, wholesome story will give them something to look forward to in subsequent entries.

[A] lively, hair-centric series opener that... focus[es] 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.