I Love My Hair!

I Love My Hair! written by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley and illustrated by E.B. Lewis is about a young African American girl named Kenyana who sits on the lap of her mother. Her mother gently combs her hair and applies coconut oil along her scalp. Kenyana complains that the tangled pieces hurt but tries not to cry. Her mother rubs the places that hurt and begins to tell the girl just how lucky she is to have a head of hair. As the story progresses Kenyana shares some of her favorite ways to wear her hair. She compares it to soft yarn woven in a puffy bun and rows in a garden. Throughout the story you learn about all the ways in which Kenyana loves her hair. 

I Love My Hair! could be read when discussing differences among people. You could even create a picture graph showing the types of hair students have in the classroom; curly, straight, etc. Children could even create self portraits and discuss something they love about themselves.