I've recently become very interested in children's picture books, and for all of you who have tiny humans of your own, or work in the elementary panel and want to bring Canadian content into your reading routine, these mini reviews are for you!
I met the author of My Magnificent Hair at this year's FOLD (Festival of Literary Diversity). She is self published and is looking to break through the more mainstream market.
My Magnificent Hair is more of a long poem than a narrative, as each page repeats the refrain "I love my magnificent hair" and then states a reason why the hair is magnificent, like beads, cornrows, etc. It is easy for a very young child to pick up on the pattern so that story time could become more like choral reading.
There are a few reasons why I think this book is important. Firstly, after the poem ends, there is a page for children (assumably with the aid of parents) to write down why they love their own hair. This sort of interaction with the book personalizes it and adds ownership to the reading process. It also helps children have a place to recognize a positive self image of themselves, the main purpose of the text. Secondly, while not all students will be able to see themselves in the images of the book, the students that would be able to connect to the images are typically under-represented in literature in general, not to mention children's lit. Having a book like this accessible for all sorts of students will help build the capacity for inclusivity in our literary communities. Finally, the book covers a wide variety of hairstyles to show that all can be beautiful, not just one specific norm of beauty.
Available on Amazon or Chapters/Indigo online.
📚 Ms. CAN Lit
Comments
Post a Comment