The colorful illustrations in FRIZZY bring to life the protagonist, a young girl named Marlene, who hates having her naturally tightly curled hair yanked and pulled and wrapped around rollers to straighten it into a hairdo that her mother likes. It is obvious that Marlene is fed up with her mother's attitude that makes Marlene feel ugly; a family member with straight hair is praised for her good hair. While the occasion -a Quinceañera- is a happy one and could be a lot of fun, Marlene dreads it. Additional humiliation is the sprig of flowers that the mother sticks in Marlene's softly curled hair. I think this book contains a good lesson for adults; one must be careful how children are "encouraged" to look or how comparisons to other family members are made. Praise or criticism of physical characteristics is a delicate subject. Parents should try to encourage a child's feeling of self worth rather than focusing solely on what the parent thinks is attractive.