SuitabookI Love My Hair!
Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
- Reading
- Read together and pause around the hair-care ritual, comparisons and hairstyles. Let the child lead personal sharing; do not assume their feelings about grooming, appearance or cultural connection will match the protagonist’s.
- Themes
- Self-acceptance through appearance: The girl comes to value her hair and the ways it can be styled, with this contributing to confidence. The book clearly presents pride in one’s hair and identity as positive, while its message need not imply that appearance determines worth.
- Family care and intimacy: A mother combs the child’s hair and oils her scalp during a repeated evening routine. The book presents this favourably.
- Hair and cultural identity: Hairstyles are linked with African-American cultural history, and hair is presented as a distinctive part of identity. The book celebrates cultural identity through personal hair practices and styles rather than treating them as merely decorative.
- Worth knowing
- Hair is treated as both personal expression and cultural expression. Invite the child to notice the care in the family relationship while remembering that hairstyles, compliments and questions can feel different to different people.