Acacia: A Rapunzel Tale by JaNay Brown-Wood & John Joven

 

Acacia: A Rapunzel Tale

by JaNay Brown-Wood & John Joven

Published Sept. 2026

Charlesbridge Publishing

32 Pages

Hardcover Picturebook

Copy provided by publisher

Summary (From Goodreads)

In this clever, contemporary Black twist on "Rapunzel," Acacia makes a new friend and uses her hair—and wits—to escape her evil stepmother.

A celebration of Black identity, empowering young girls to embrace and love themselves. A perfect storytime read for kids ages 4 to 7 years old.

Acacia has been locked away by Ma Gothel, left to wonder about the world beyond her tower walls. She spends her days reading stories about the outside until one day, Mahogany from A Little Red Riding Hood Tale happens to find her tower. When Mahogany sees Acacia let down her long, twisted hair for Ma Gothel to climb, she returns to befriend the lonely girl.

Eventually the girls realize they can untwist Acacia’s hair in a way that will make it impossible to let the locks down for Ma Gothel. An escape plan from the tower unfolds, because friendship—and a dream to see the world—are powerful.

Ultimately, Acacia’s Black hair is personal expression and her own superpower.

My Thoughts

This book is a companion to Mahogany: A Little Red Riding Hood Tale, by the same creative team. I enjoyed this twist on the classic tale. Hair is an especially important component of black culture, and this book shows how Rapunzel's hairstyle, with the help of a friend, could be used as a source of strength.  

This book would be a valuable addition to folk & fairytale collections, where the characters and heroines are predominantly white. Young readers deserve to see a variety of diverse characters in all genres. 

The story is on the longer side, with lots of dialogue between the characters. The classic tale follows the same classic storyline at first, with Rapunzel stuck in a tower and an evil mother figure holding her hostage there. But then Rapunzel meets Mahogany, who tells her about the world and helps her outsmart Ma Gothel. 

John Joven's vibrant illustrations provide a magical storybook quality. The page spreads vary from whole pages filled with color to pages with more white space and illustrations contained in shapes. 

Here is a book trailer describing the story. 

Learn More About This Team!

JaNay Brown-Wood is a former early childhood professor and the author of several books for children, including Mahogany: A Little Red Riding Hood Tale, Grandma's Tiny House, and Imani's Moon. She also contributed to the poetry anthologies Thanku: Poems of Gratitude and No World Too Big. Much of JaNay's work is intended to celebrate casual diversity, primarily featuring Black characters. She lives in Northern California. Learn more at https://www.janaybrownwood.com/.

John Joven is the illustrator of Mahogany: A Little Red Riding Hood Tale, The Plan for the Gingerbread House, and Preschool, Here I Come!. He grew up in Bogotá, Colombia, and studied graphic design at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. He still lives there with his wife, Ana, and two children, Avril and Ian. When not illustrating, he enjoys spending quality time with his children, playing soccer with his friends, watching movies, and traveling. Visit johnjoven.com.