Don't Touch My Hair!
By Barbara Saunders,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Girl speaks up, sets boundaries in funny picture book.
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What's the Story?
In DON'T TOUCH MY HAIR!, Aria is an African American girl with big, soft, curly hair "that grows up toward the sun like a flower." She loves her hair and other people do, too. But others love it a little too much; they keep trying to touch her hair without permission. This makes Aria so uncomfortable, she tries to withdraw from people altogether. She hides underwater, but the mermaids try to touch her hair. She hides in the jungle, but the animals try to touch her hair. No matter where she goes, she can't run away from the problem. She returns home, and finds the only good solution: She tells them they have to ask. Sometimes she says yes. Sometimes she says no. But the important thing is that people respect her boundaries.
Is It Any Good?
This ALA Children's Notable Book offers a funny take on serious topics. Author-illustrator Sharee Miller packs a lot of emotion into the illustrations in Don't Touch My Hair! There's a repeated motif of hands (in a variety of different skin tones) reaching from the borders of the pages towards Aria at the center. This image manages to be funny, claustrophobic, and multicultural all at once. The way Aria experiences her dilemma is particularly nuanced and effective. The author communicates that touching other people without their permission is wrong, but she also delivers the lesson that running away is no answer: Aria doesn't cure her problem; rather, she learns to navigate a world where other people are not perfect.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how setting personal boundaries is shown in Don't Touch My Hair! What kinds of touch are OK? What kinds are not OK? How do you let someone know that you don't like the way they are touching you?
When people won't stop touching her hair, Aria runs away. Why do you think she does that instead of speaking her mind?
How are the people in the book different from one another? Do you know people who have different kinds of hair?
Book Details
- Author: Sharee Miller
- Illustrator: Sharee Miller
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Princesses, Fairies, Mermaids, and More , Adventures , Great Girl Role Models
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Little Brown and Company
- Publication date: August 7, 2019
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 8
- Number of pages: 34
- Available on: Paperback, Hardback
- Last updated: June 26, 2022
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