Download high-resolution image Look inside
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio pause button
0:00
0:00

J.D. and the Family Business

Author J. Dillard
Illustrated by Akeem S. Roberts
Look inside
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio pause button
0:00
0:00
Eight-year-old kid barber J.D. joins forces with his sister, who has beauty shop dreams, in this hilarious illustrated chapter book and follow-up to J.D. and the Great Barber Battle.

J.D. is a barber battle champion. He's graduated from home haircuts to having a regular chair at the neighborhood shop, Hart and Son, and he's making enough money to keep his candy jar stocked and his comic book collection growing. And yet, J.D. knows it's time for his next challenge. He doesn't just want to be the best barber in Meridian, Mississippi—he wants to be the best barber in the state . . . and maybe the country! When his older sister, Vanessa, starts to gain a following online for her hair tutorials, the kids decide that to truly level up, they must join forces. How do two siblings with big personalities, big ambitions, and competitive spirits work together (or not) to take over the hair world?

Check out the other chapter books in the J.D. the Kid Barber series:
J.D. and the Great Barber Battle
J.D. and the Hair Show Showdown
© His Images Ink
Akeem S. Roberts is the illustrator of the J.D. the Kid Barber chapter book series, which was a School Library Journal Best Book of 2021, a Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2021, a Charlotte Huck Award Honor recipient, and a Texas Bluebonnet MasterList selection. He has worked as an illustrator for Hasbro (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) and as a cartoonist for The New Yorker. The Class Pet Ghost Detective series is his author-illustrator debut. Visit Akeem at AkeemTeam.com to see more of his work. View titles by Akeem S. Roberts
Praise for J.D. and the Great Barber Battle:

★"A surefire win of a read expressly made for young Black boys to cherish."
Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“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.” 
BookPage
 
"The African American cultural references and community values will resonate with readers of all ages, while the joyful, wholesome story will give them something to look forward to in subsequent entries."
The Horn Book

About

Eight-year-old kid barber J.D. joins forces with his sister, who has beauty shop dreams, in this hilarious illustrated chapter book and follow-up to J.D. and the Great Barber Battle.

J.D. is a barber battle champion. He's graduated from home haircuts to having a regular chair at the neighborhood shop, Hart and Son, and he's making enough money to keep his candy jar stocked and his comic book collection growing. And yet, J.D. knows it's time for his next challenge. He doesn't just want to be the best barber in Meridian, Mississippi—he wants to be the best barber in the state . . . and maybe the country! When his older sister, Vanessa, starts to gain a following online for her hair tutorials, the kids decide that to truly level up, they must join forces. How do two siblings with big personalities, big ambitions, and competitive spirits work together (or not) to take over the hair world?

Check out the other chapter books in the J.D. the Kid Barber series:
J.D. and the Great Barber Battle
J.D. and the Hair Show Showdown

Author

© His Images Ink
Akeem S. Roberts is the illustrator of the J.D. the Kid Barber chapter book series, which was a School Library Journal Best Book of 2021, a Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2021, a Charlotte Huck Award Honor recipient, and a Texas Bluebonnet MasterList selection. He has worked as an illustrator for Hasbro (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) and as a cartoonist for The New Yorker. The Class Pet Ghost Detective series is his author-illustrator debut. Visit Akeem at AkeemTeam.com to see more of his work. View titles by Akeem S. Roberts

Praise

Praise for J.D. and the Great Barber Battle:

★"A surefire win of a read expressly made for young Black boys to cherish."
Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“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.” 
BookPage
 
"The African American cultural references and community values will resonate with readers of all ages, while the joyful, wholesome story will give them something to look forward to in subsequent entries."
The Horn Book

Reading with Purpose Summit Event

On Monday, June 10th, Penguin Random House Education and DK Learning co-hosted a Reading with Purpose Summit Event in collaboration with Molly Ness, PhD. The event took place at Penguin Random House’s NYC headquarters and included sessions featuring leading education experts and a lunchtime author panel. The in-person professional learning event was built to show

Read more

2024 Elementary School Collection

The Penguin Random House Education Elementary School Collection features outstanding fiction, nonfiction, and picture books from Penguin Young Reader’s, Random House Children’s, DK, and Grupo Editorial, as well as children’s publishers distributed by Penguin Random House. Explore online or download this valuable resource to discover great books in specific topic areas such as: Leveled Readers,

Read more

DK Learning Phonic Books Sampler Request

Thank you for your interest in DK Learning | Phonic Books. To download the DK Learning | Phonic Books sampler with four complete readers, please click here and complete the form. Once your information is successfully submitted, a link to download the sampler will be provided on the confirmation screen.   Click here to learn

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more