My Hair
by Hannah Lee, illustrated by Allen Fatimaharan
Interest age: 3 to 7
Reading age: 5+
Published by Faber & Faber, 2019
About this book
A young girl is excited about her birthday, especially as it means a trip to the hairdressers, where she can choose any hairstyle she likes for her party. As she waits at the salon, flicking through hair magazines for inspiration, she considers the variety of styles sported by her friends and family.
While Mummy’s dazzling dreadlocks swing when she moves, Aunty prefers the stylish, carefree look of short, shaved hair. Her big sister likes to experiment, from small coiled Bantu knots to the chiselled precision of a high top fade, and her brothers love to show off their intricate cornrow designs. With so many fabulous styles to choose from, how will she ever decide on the perfect head of party hair?
This joyful celebration of black hair demonstrates a range of styles and will inspire children to experiment with their own look. Lively illustrations in warm, rich colours accompany the rhythmic text and readers are invited to draw a picture of their own hair at the end of the book. A delightful debut collaboration between two winners of Faber’s FAB prize, which aims to highlight the talents of new children’s writers and illustrators from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.
Hannah Lee: Why we all need to see faces that look like ours in the arts
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