My Hair is a Garden

by Cozbi A. Cabrera, Cozbi A. Cabrera (Illustrator)

Overview

NEA'S READ ACROSS AMERICA 2019-2020 CALENDAR

Like every good garden, my hair must be cared for and nourished, tilled, and weeded.

After a day of being taunted by classmates about her unruly hair, Mackenzie can't take any more and she seeks guidance from her wise and comforting neighbor, Miss Tillie. Using the beautiful garden in the backyard as a metaphor, Miss Tillie shows Mackenzie that maintaining healthy hair is not a chore nor is it something to fear. Most importantly, Mackenzie learns that natural black hair is beautiful.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807555217
Publisher:	Whitman, Albert & Company
Publication date:	09/07/2023
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,016,328
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Cozbi A. Cabrera received a BFA from Parsons School of Design. An author and illustrator, she won Caldecott and Coretta Scott King honors for her book Me & Mama. Additionally, her handmade cloth dolls have garnered the attention of collectors around the world.

Cozbi A. Cabrera received a BFA from Parsons School of Design. An author and illustrator, she won Caldecott and Coretta Scott King honors for her book Me & Mama. Additionally, her handmade cloth dolls have garnered the attention of collectors around the world.

Editorial Reviews

NEA'S READ ACROSS AMERICA 2019-2020 CALENDAR

"Strikes an effective balance between encouraging self-confidence and explaining step-by-step self improvement; even as Miss Tillie teaches MacKenzie the importance of washing and combing her hair, the older woman reminds the girl that her hair is a garden, and she needs to feed it with love."—The Horn Book Magazine

From the Publisher

2018-03-04
A little girl learns to love and care for her hair.Mack, young and black, does not love her hair. As a result of teasing, she tries to hide it. But Mack does love her neighbor Miss Tillie. Miss Tillie's house has been a safe space since Mack was a toddler. So, naturally, Mack seeks refuge in Miss Tillie after being bullied by a classmate who states as fact that "Mack's hair is always a mess." West Indian Miss Tillie gives Mack a glass of sorrel and listens as Mack tells her about the long-term mockery she's endured about her hair. Though dark-skinned Mack's mother also appears to be black, she doesn't know how to care for her daughter's hair, and Mack asks Miss Tillie for help. Miss Tillie teaches Mack that her hair is like a garden: "And like every good garden, it must be cared for, every day." The folk art-style illustrations lend this story an anytime, anyplace quality that leaves readers free to focus on the content. Although the text placement and type may occasionally distract, the illustrations evoke emotion, and endpapers showing different hairstyles on black girls of varying hues are especially well-done.How needed, how refreshing to see a black girl learn to appreciate herself—lovely and informative. (caring for black hair, recipes) (Picture book. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews