We compared Janice Kenyatta's author brand and book presence with the most successful self-published picture book about a Black girl learning to love her natural hair. LaTashia M. Perry published Hair Like Mine through her own imprint, G Publishing, and grew it into a four-book series with 2,589 Amazon ratings and a Teachers' pick badge. Same publishing route as Janice — very different reach.
Brooks Craft scores twelve areas that decide whether a parent, teacher or librarian finds, trusts and buys a self-published picture book. Each is rated from what is live today.
Scores are Brooks Craft Publishing's assessment. Every figure on this page comes from live pages captured on November 7, 2026.
Each pair was captured the same day, at the same size. Janice is on the left, LaTashia M. Perry on the right.
Both authors have a Knowledge Panel labelled "Author". Perry's is far richer: a Books carousel with her whole series, read-aloud videos, and a Goodreads card showing 9 books and 1,900 ratings. Janice's panel shows one book and no videos.


Hair Like Mine gets an AI Overview, a 4.5/5 Goodreads rating, "Read now" buttons for Barnes & Noble and Kobo, a library search and a row of read-aloud videos. Just As It Is! has none of these, and Google lists its details incorrectly.


This is Janice's clear advantage. janicekenyatta.com is live, personal and sells books, the Abena doll and the puzzle directly. Perry's listed website, 4kidslikemine.com, is currently not connected to a site. Even so, Perry outsells Janice — proof that her Amazon and Google presence do the selling.


Perry's Author Store shows 13 titles with 2,589 ratings on her flagship, an Amazon Kids+ Kindle edition and a Spanish edition. Janice's store is set up well but its "Most popular" slot is not her picture book.


Both books are self-published, so both authors control the same tools on Amazon. Perry uses them to sell a series.
Hair Like Mine carries a "Teachers' pick" badge, a "Book 1 of 4" series link, a 3–7 reading age and Kindle, hardcover and paperback. Just As It Is! has no badge, no series link, no Kindle edition and a loose description.


Below the description, Hair Like Mine shows 2,589 ratings (93% five-star), an AI summary praising its representation and self-acceptance message, and a product video. On Janice's page the same space is filled with sponsored ads for other children's books.


Hair Like Mine is filed under Children's Self-Esteem — the exact theme of Just As It Is! — where it ranks #1,243. Janice's book is not in that category at all.


Janice has no Kindle edition, so there is no Kindle page and no Editorial Reviews block at all. Perry's Kindle edition is free to read with Amazon Kids+ — a huge discovery channel for parents — and carries the same Teachers' pick badge and 2,589 ratings.


| Amazon factor | Just As It Is! | Hair Like Mine | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Publishing route | Self-published (Janice Kenyatta, LLC) | Self-published (G Publishing) | Same route |
| Ratings | 4.9★ · 15 | 4.9★ · 2,589 | Critical |
| Best Sellers Rank | #4,688,866 | #520,978 | Critical |
| Badge | None | Teachers' pick | High |
| Kindle / Amazon Kids+ | None | Yes | Critical |
| Series | Not linked | Book 1 of 4 | High |
Both books are printed on demand. The difference is distribution: Perry's book flows into bookstores and libraries; Janice's does not.
Searching Barnes & Noble for Janice's paperback ISBN returns a 404 — the book is not in their catalogue. Hair Like Mine is in stock in hardcover, paperback and eBook, and can be found in stores.


| Print & distribution | Just As It Is! | Hair Like Mine |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon print on demand | Hardcover, paperback, bilingual, activity book | Hardcover, paperback, activity book |
| Barnes & Noble | Not found (404) | In stock, in stores |
| Kobo / eBook stores | No eBook | Kobo and Nook eBook ($4.99) |
| Libraries (WorldCat) | Not found | Linked by Google |
| Own shop & merchandise | Books, Abena doll, puzzle | Website currently offline |
| Spanish / bilingual | Bilingual hardcover | Spanish edition (Piel como la mía) |
Perry proved a self-published picture book can earn a Teachers' pick and thousands of ratings. This is the same playbook, built around Janice's strengths.
Brooks Craft Publishing will build the visibility Just As It Is! needs to stand beside the most successful self-published picture books.
Social media & author profile
Picture books spread through teachers, storytime channels and parents. Perry's book travels through other people's videos; Janice's audience is still her own.
Social media presence
High gapJanice's Instagram is active and personal, with 371 followers. Perry's reach comes from the community: storytime channels, museums and parents post read-aloud videos of her books on YouTube and Facebook, and they rank on Google.
Author profile (Goodreads)
High gapPerry's Goodreads profile is claimed, with a photo, full bio, website and 617 ratings across 9 works. Janice's profile has never been claimed: no photo, no bio, 1 follower and 17 ratings.