Difference between revisions of "My Hair is a Garden"

From blackwiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
(Created page with "thumb|262x262px|My Hair is a Garden Book Cover My Hair is a Garden is children book released in April 2008, written by textile artist, clothin...")
 
m
Line 1: Line 1:
[[File:My Hair is a Garden.jpg|thumb|262x262px|My Hair is a Garden Book Cover]]
+
[[File:My Hair is a Garden.jpg|thumb|224x224px|My Hair is a Garden Book Cover]]
 
My Hair is a Garden is children book released in April 2008, written by textile artist, clothing designer, children’s-book illustrator and now author Cozbi Cabrera. The book is about little black girl's journey from being teased about her hair to self-acceptance and celebration of its uniqueness through being thought to care for it.
 
My Hair is a Garden is children book released in April 2008, written by textile artist, clothing designer, children’s-book illustrator and now author Cozbi Cabrera. The book is about little black girl's journey from being teased about her hair to self-acceptance and celebration of its uniqueness through being thought to care for it.
  
== Plot ==
+
==Plot==
 
This book is about a young girl named Mackenzie who is taunted by her classmates about her "always a mess" hair. As a result of teasing, she tries to hide it. But then, she turns to her neighbor Miss Tillie to finds guidance and comfort. Though dark-skinned Mackenzie’s mother also appears to be black, she doesn’t know how to care for her daughter’s hair, and Mackenzie asks Miss Tillie for help.
 
This book is about a young girl named Mackenzie who is taunted by her classmates about her "always a mess" hair. As a result of teasing, she tries to hide it. But then, she turns to her neighbor Miss Tillie to finds guidance and comfort. Though dark-skinned Mackenzie’s mother also appears to be black, she doesn’t know how to care for her daughter’s hair, and Mackenzie asks Miss Tillie for help.
  
Line 9: Line 9:
 
“And like every good garden, it must be cared for, every day.”  
 
“And like every good garden, it must be cared for, every day.”  
  
== Illustration ==
+
==Illustration==
 
Cabrera’s acrylic illustrations exude a softness well suited to the story’s gently positive message. While many skin tones are represented in the book, MacKenzie and Miss Tillie share a rich dark color, so much so that the difference between their skin and ebony hair is almost imperceptible. Contrasted with bright spring tones of blues, greens, and reds in the patterns and backgrounds, the girl and her mentor stand out brilliantly. The story 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. Appended with a brief overview of “Caring for Black Hair,” including sealing in moisture, detangling, and protective styling; and with recipes for an herbal infusion rinse and moisturizing shea butter.<ref>Njoku, Eboni. [https://www.hbook.com/?detailStory=review-hair-garden Review of My Hair Is a Garden]. Retrieved on December 20, 2020.</ref>
 
Cabrera’s acrylic illustrations exude a softness well suited to the story’s gently positive message. While many skin tones are represented in the book, MacKenzie and Miss Tillie share a rich dark color, so much so that the difference between their skin and ebony hair is almost imperceptible. Contrasted with bright spring tones of blues, greens, and reds in the patterns and backgrounds, the girl and her mentor stand out brilliantly. The story 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. Appended with a brief overview of “Caring for Black Hair,” including sealing in moisture, detangling, and protective styling; and with recipes for an herbal infusion rinse and moisturizing shea butter.<ref>Njoku, Eboni. [https://www.hbook.com/?detailStory=review-hair-garden Review of My Hair Is a Garden]. Retrieved on December 20, 2020.</ref>
  
== Inspiration ==
+
==Inspiration==
 
Cabrera wrote this book with the understanding that so many girls enter into environments that don’t support their esteem in any way, and a lot of it does revolve around hair.
 
Cabrera wrote this book with the understanding that so many girls enter into environments that don’t support their esteem in any way, and a lot of it does revolve around hair.
  
Line 19: Line 19:
 
She initially wrote and illustrated ''My Hair Is a Garden'' 10 years ago, but in the decade since she began the project, Cabrera has become a mother and  found her daughter facing many of the same issues her young heroine does. Not only Cabrera is trying to help black girls have a better understanding of the beauty of their hair, she also has included a few home recipes to help readers better care for their own natural hair.<ref>Kai, Maiysha (2018). [https://theglowup.theroot.com/how-does-your-garden-grow-my-hair-is-a-garden-helps-bl-1824249053 How Does Your Garden Grow? ''My Hair Is a Garden'' Helps Black Girls Celebrate Their Hair] Retrieved on December 20, 2020</ref>
 
She initially wrote and illustrated ''My Hair Is a Garden'' 10 years ago, but in the decade since she began the project, Cabrera has become a mother and  found her daughter facing many of the same issues her young heroine does. Not only Cabrera is trying to help black girls have a better understanding of the beauty of their hair, she also has included a few home recipes to help readers better care for their own natural hair.<ref>Kai, Maiysha (2018). [https://theglowup.theroot.com/how-does-your-garden-grow-my-hair-is-a-garden-helps-bl-1824249053 How Does Your Garden Grow? ''My Hair Is a Garden'' Helps Black Girls Celebrate Their Hair] Retrieved on December 20, 2020</ref>
  
== References ==
+
==References==
 
 
  
 
[[Category: Anti-Black Racism in Children's Story Book]]
 
[[Category: Anti-Black Racism in Children's Story Book]]
 +
<references />

Revision as of 08:16, 20 December 2020

My Hair is a Garden Book Cover

My Hair is a Garden is children book released in April 2008, written by textile artist, clothing designer, children’s-book illustrator and now author Cozbi Cabrera. The book is about little black girl's journey from being teased about her hair to self-acceptance and celebration of its uniqueness through being thought to care for it.

Plot

This book is about a young girl named Mackenzie who is taunted by her classmates about her "always a mess" hair. As a result of teasing, she tries to hide it. But then, she turns to her neighbor Miss Tillie to finds guidance and comfort. Though dark-skinned Mackenzie’s mother also appears to be black, she doesn’t know how to care for her daughter’s hair, and Mackenzie asks Miss Tillie for help.

Miss Tillie shows Mackenzie that her hair is beautiful and not something to fear or be ashamed of. Miss Tillie shows Mackenzie how to care for her hair, and think that natural black hair is beautiful, using her garden as a metaphor.

“And like every good garden, it must be cared for, every day.”

Illustration

Cabrera’s acrylic illustrations exude a softness well suited to the story’s gently positive message. While many skin tones are represented in the book, MacKenzie and Miss Tillie share a rich dark color, so much so that the difference between their skin and ebony hair is almost imperceptible. Contrasted with bright spring tones of blues, greens, and reds in the patterns and backgrounds, the girl and her mentor stand out brilliantly. The story 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. Appended with a brief overview of “Caring for Black Hair,” including sealing in moisture, detangling, and protective styling; and with recipes for an herbal infusion rinse and moisturizing shea butter.[1]

Inspiration

Cabrera wrote this book with the understanding that so many girls enter into environments that don’t support their esteem in any way, and a lot of it does revolve around hair.

"So, these are things that we think about that [for] other cultures don’t necessarily come into play... The idea is a child who’s been teased at school over and over again, and one day she just had enough. And so she decides to take matters into her own hands and get some help with her hair."

She initially wrote and illustrated My Hair Is a Garden 10 years ago, but in the decade since she began the project, Cabrera has become a mother and found her daughter facing many of the same issues her young heroine does. Not only Cabrera is trying to help black girls have a better understanding of the beauty of their hair, she also has included a few home recipes to help readers better care for their own natural hair.[2]

References

  1. Njoku, Eboni. Review of My Hair Is a Garden. Retrieved on December 20, 2020.
  2. Kai, Maiysha (2018). How Does Your Garden Grow? My Hair Is a Garden Helps Black Girls Celebrate Their Hair Retrieved on December 20, 2020