The Power of the book Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry

On Memorial Day I was watching the 3rd hour of the Today Show and they were having a conversation about fathers styling their daughter’s hair. Al Roker learned how to do his daughter’s hair when she was young, but the other co-hosts had stories of themselves or their spouses trying and failing to style their child’s hair, which is also where my husband falls when it comes to doing my daughter’s hair. I’ve gotten over it, especially since she can at least put her own hair in a ponytail now, but I was slightly bitter about it for a while. Today however, I am inspired by a new book that highlights some daddy/daughter “hair love”.

Hair Love, written by Matthew A. Cherry, is about a young girl who loves her natural hair, and even describes it as doing magic tricks. She’s got a special day coming up, and decides that she wants to do her hair herself, especially since her dad has been working so hard recently, and he must be tired. However, dad wakes up and after some failed attempts, together they do their best to create the perfect hairstyle.

SPOILER ALERT: There are a couple of major reasons why I think this book is outstanding, but one of them does spoil the ending of the book. First, I love just about everything Vashti Harrison illustrates, and this is no exception. From the expression on the character’s faces to the detail of dad’s tattoo, it is all beautifully done.

Secondly, I love love love the relationship between father and child that is illustrated in this book. Daddy tells her her hair is beautiful and is clearly involved in his daughter’s day to day life. That in itself is not something you see often in kids’ books, which is partly why I loved it. But also…mom is there too. We don’t know it until the end (hence the spoiler alert), but mom coming home is the reason she wants to make sure her hair is perfect. And although this may seem trivial to some, it made it more powerful for me, particularly this illustration at the end, where Harrison makes it clear that mom and dad are married. Again, it is something that really shouldn’t give me all sorts of touch-feely emotions, but because it isn’t often seen in children’s picture books, it does.

If you want to maybe inspire your child’s father to do your daughter’s hair or if he’s not like mine and he already does and you want to give him props, then you should read this book. Or, if you would like to read a book with your child about an imaginative and ambitious little girl and her family, then you should read this book. 🙂