"I love my natural hair...kinks, curls, and ALL!"

QOTD: What's your favorite book about hair love or celebration?

My Hair is Like the Sun by St. Clair Detrick-Jules published yesterday, and I'm so happy this beautiful book is now out in the world. The illustrations and pictures are gorgeous, and they depict different Black children with varied textures and curl types. The story compares their hair as being connected to or in comparison to aspects of nature and the universe. It normalizes the idea that natural hair is beautiful and worthy of love. The author uses the diversity of the natural world to help children see that having different types of hair makes them unique and special.

Growing up Afro-latina for me was difficult because of my own family's internalized ideas about beauty standards and the concept of good/bad hair. My hair texture was one of the ways that I have always been othered, and it took a lot of self work to unlearn the bad messaging and reclaim and embrace my natural hair.

This book made me smile and healed my inner child. I am so happy that Black children have some options of books that provide them positive representation around natural hair and embracing the spectrum of textures. Reading books like this is a great way to help boost self-esteem and normalize natural hair. Reading is also a great way to get children to open up about feelings they may be having about aspects of their appearance.

Parents and educators of younger children, I highly recommend you add this to your libraries. Thanks to @chroniclekidsbooks and @stclairdetrickjules for the gifted copy. ( )