Neecy and Nay Nay and the Tangled, Hairy Mess
Neecy and Nay Nay and the Tangled, Hairy Mess
Simone Dankenbring & Syrone Harvey
Maya Henderson, Illustrator
Little Bee, 2025
88 pages
Grades 2-4
Realistic Fiction
Neecy and Nay Nay series #1
First person narration by Neecy relates the life and times of two twins living with their single Dad and grandma in a close-knit urban neighborhood. In this series opener Nay Nay gets bubblegum stuck in her hair. A trip to the beauty parlor, where Ms. Yvonne works magic with peanut butter, inspires the twins to create their own magic. After a successful experiment on their best friend, an idea is born. Challenged with a school project to design a business, the girls decide to open up their own beauty salon and invite their friends over. They design zippy names for their services and competitive pricing, so what could go wrong? Plenty, if you don’t know what you are doing. After a disastrous facial made from a hodge-podge of items from the fridge, fake nails made from fish scales, and turning one of their pal’s heads into a frizz-ball, the girls admit defeat. Cheerfully conveying the experience in a class-presentation, the twins explain that they learned the importance of customer satisfaction and teamwork, even though their business turned out to be a disaster. All’s well that ends well, as readers look forward to the next series entry The Glitter Girls, released simultaneously.
First time authors and real-life twins, Dankenbring and Harvey, draw from past experience and exploits to deliver a cheerful new series for emerging chapter book readers. Clocking in at less than one-hundred pages with full-color illustrations on every spread, this new series will welcome the target audience. Twin Neecy, who appears a bit less impulsive than her sister, is our narrator. The language is current and zippy. Yes, these girls make mistakes, but they own up to them and try to fix the mess that they create. Lessons in teamwork, friendship, and positivity are delivered within the confines of a bopping plot and gentle conflicts to which kids can relate. The family situations depicted are non-traditional, which is reflective on modern American society and the cast is diverse. Back matter includes grandma’s snickerdoodle recipe (and I’m all about a snickerdoodle recipe :) and a glossary of the big words that Neecy likes to use, thus improving the vocabulary of the readership. The series is simultaneously published in both hardcover and paperback, making it appropriate for library use, all while affordable to own. A bright new series that is sure to be enjoyed.