I Love My Hair
i love my hair
By Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
This narrative is told in the style of memoir and is based on the author’s experiences as a young girl. Natasha Tarpley pairs the specific childhood vignettes with reflections and insights on the lessons she learned about herself and her culture. Readers meet Keyana and her mother as they grapple with the tangles of hair and connect the sights and sounds of hairstyles to the past and present.
Second Grade student and family connections
I really enjoyed reading this book. The author "paints' the picture with simple and poem-like wordings. Her many metaphors of Keyana's different hair styles makes one feel like life is full of possibilities. Being different can be a "normal" thing and/or something to be celebrated!
-Susan, mom of Luella & Leighton
I liked when the girl gave examples of her hair, for example, her hair as soft as cotton candy, or when she wears her favorite style, two pony tails on both sides. -Neo
I like the way Keyana learned to accept herself in a positive way. She wasn't very happy with her hair at the very beginning but when she learned how blessed she is, she kind of loves her ponytails. -Xinfang Jiu
My favorite part is when she says, "maybe one day I'll take off" at the end of the story, because it was funny and she accepts her hair. I learned that don't let them tease you about a part of you and don't stand down. My connection is people used to tease me and then I didn't stand down. I showed them what I can do, but they said, I couldn't but I did do it well. -Neil
The story made me think of a story from my childhood back in East Germany. We used to "tease" a boy who was religious wearing a necklace shaped like a cross because religion was not something that was accepted in East Germany. As the peaceful revolution started to happen and the wall came down, we all started to wear crosses which became an expression of attitude and the very thing people teased the boy about because the symbol of our new freedom; to engage in any thought or religion you feel is right for you!
-Daniela, Neil's mom
I like the illustrations.
-Grant
Just like her, I have glasses which I do not like. My glasses do not look like any glasses in Fiske Elementary. -Samvit
I learned that it doesn't matter how you look.
-Claire
I liked the part when it had the sentence, "Soft as cotton candy", and I liked the book because there were a lot of similes. I liked the story because I do ballet and I'm not confident all the time and it makes me know that being confident is very good, not just ballet, but everything. It inspired me with confidence. -Luella
I liked the illustration of the tree and the comparison of her hair to the forest and cotton candy. I love cotton candy! "it is as thick as a forest, soft as cotton candy" -Mrs. Murphy
No matter what your hair looks like, you are you.
The lesson I learned from the book was you do what you want with your hair that makes you feel good.
-Kaleb
My glasses make me special because I can switch colors and because they help me see. I also think they are cool, just like the girl in "I Love My Hair" likes her hair. -Rishi
My hair is pretty long because it can grow an inch in a month. I also like my hair, but it is annoying when it gets in my eyes.
When I went to karate, I wore a mohiki.
When my dad is tired, I give him a head/hair massage and he likes it a lot.
When my mom combed my sisters hair, she cried like Keyana did. Now she cut it short and she likes not combing her hair.
The watercolors were awesome.
Even if you aren't aware of something, it can still be nice.
It doesn't matter what other people think of you, it matters what you think of yourself.
-Nikhil
I learned be proud of how you look. My connection is that my hair has hurt sometimes.
-Arun
I think hair like a globe is cool. I hate cow licks! My great grandpa was a barber.
-Ryan
My mom combs my hair and braids my hair. It hurts sometimes. I sit still for mommy.
-Amber