I love using books to help children develop awareness of social and emotional issues. Teaching children to be considerate and accepting of diversity is an important issue that books can help us to explore together.
This collection of wonderful books all about hair is perfect for initiating conversations with your kids about appearance, individual differences, being mindful of what we say about the appearance of others, and the importance of learning to love and accept ourselves — however we look.
1. A celebration of every type of hair, that ends with a reminder to appreciate the hair you have, is found in the children’s classic The Hair Book by Graham Tether.
2. Crazy Hair Day by Barney Saltzberg is a useful resource for talking about being teased, and the importance of feeling like you fit in as part of a group.
3. With simple rhyming prose, Crystal Swain-Bates introduces Lola in Big Hair, Don’t Care. Lola’s hair might make people stop and stare — but she just doesn’t care!
4. In Bippity Bop Barbershop by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley, a boy and his father celebrate the boy’s first visit to the barbershop.
5. I Don’t Want Curly Hair by Laura Ellen Anderson is a funny, endearing tale of learning to love what we have.
6. Freckleface Strawberry by Julianne Moore is about a young girl who despairs of her red hair and freckles. Her attempts to change her appearance lead her to realize that being herself matters so much more than what she looks like.
7. The Boy with Pink Hair by Perez Hilton is a wonderful story about finding a place to fit in when you were born to stand out.
8. The Girl Who Wouldn’t Brush Her Hair by Kate Bernheimer is a cautionary tale of the uninvited guests children may attract when they're reluctant to care for their hair.
9. Bugs in My Hair by David Shannon comes with a warning — this book will make you itch! A humorous story about the nuisance that is head lice and one boy’s journey to rid himself of both the embarrassment and the bugs.
There is no denying that our hair is important to who we are, as both an individual and as a member of society. These books can provide you and your child with lots to talk about as you celebrate together this one physical feature that makes us each so special and unique.
