Empowering Books About Hair

These empowering books about hair help build self-confidence in children and foster pride in their heritage. All of the picture books below are #OwnVoices books, making their message even more powerful and full of meaning.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. I received complimentary copies of some of the books below for review purposes; however, all opinions are my own.

Empowering Books About Hair

Enjoy these empowering books about hair for children!

For many indigenous communities, hair has great cultural significance, and its mistreatment is emblematic of the trauma they have suffered historically. One young girl learns that loving her hair not only helps connect her to her culture but also is part of the healing journey for her family. For her mother, long hair was deemed too “wild,” and her grandmother’s hair was forcibly cut short at boarding school. Now the granddaughter learns how special memories and relationships are woven into her hair and that growing her hair long is a meaningful way to reclaim her community’s power and resilience.

Buy My Powerful Hair on Amazon or Bookshop

Selah is excited to show off her locs at school, but when the other kids call them “dreadlocks,” Selah worries that there is something wrong with her hair. When she gets home, she finds out her older brother is being forced to cut off his locs if he wants to stay on the baseball team. Selah’s family teaches her understand the history of her hairstyle, helping her regain her confidence. A wonderful book about maintaining pride and self-love in the face of discrimination. See my interview with the author.

Buy Locs, Not Dreads on Amazon or Bookshop

This joyous book is one girl’s celebration of her nappy curls. Her hair not quite like anyone else’s; it is unique just to her. Even though some kids tease her about it, she loves her hair. It can be styled in so many ways and can change to fit her mood, but mostly she loves it because it is a special part of her. A beautiful book about celebrating what makes you unique.

Buy Happy with My Nappy on Amazon or Bookshop

This sweet rhyming book is a great reminder that true self-confidence lifts up not just you, but others around you. After being teased about his curly hair at school, a young boy gazes in his mirror, hoping for some answers. To his surprise, a wise woman appears in the mirror. She helps him understand the beauty and dignity of his hair – and how he can help others feel just as good about their looks.

Buy A Boy and His Mirror on Amazon or Bookshop

Lunella may be a superhero, fighting crime as Moon Girl alongside her sidekick Devil Dinosaur, but even she has moments of self-doubt. When a classmate teases her about her hair, Lunella becomes self-conscious, especially as picture day approaches. In her efforts to “fix” her hair, she ends up mistreating it and turning it into a super villain. Can her mother help her understand that loving her hair (and learning to care for it) is an essential part of loving and caring for herself? A fun metaphor to help kids think about hair-love as self-love. See my interview with the author.

Buy Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow on Amazon or Bookshop

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