My Hair is a Garden

By Cozbi A. Cabrera

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
• Release date: Apr 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9780807509241

Cozbi A. Cabrera

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.

Book preview

Reviews for My Hair is a Garden

[jennybeast · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a lovely and useful book! Text heavy, but the images are wonderful, and the hair care section in the back seems well done.

[matesewiggns · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My hair is a Garden by Cozbi Cabrera is a cute information picture book about African American hair and how to manage it. In the story MacKenzie an African American girl is teased about her short, dry, nappy hair in school so she goes to her neighbor, Ms.Tillie house, who has a beautiful home and garden. Ms. Tillie washes MacKenzie hair and show her the garden to compare it to hair growth. MacKenzie becomes fascinated and she wanted to learn how to grow and take care of beautiful hair, Ms. Tillie showed her and her hair grew. This picture book also includes step by step directions for caring for Black hair. The theme of this book is black hair is like a garden, it has to be nurtured and cared for.