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A review by jecoats
Don't Touch My Hair! by Sharee Miller
4.0
Sharee Miller’s picturebook, Don’t Touch My Hair!, may not have won any awards (at least that I am aware of), but it has been recommended to me by several educators, some of whom were classmates of mine at National Louis. I read a digital version on the Chicago Public Library website.
The story follows little Aria, a young girl who loves her soft, curly, and bouncy locks. However, her beautiful head of hair seems to come with a strange consequence - everyone else, including a giant purple dragon and little green aliens, wants to touch her hair. Aria tries to escape the unwanted invasion of her personal space but finds that being away from others makes her lonely. Finally, Aria learns how to say “no” and learns how to articulate her needs as people around her learn the importance of asking permission.
Don’t Touch My Hair! feels like a short read, even at 32 pages. I believe this is due to the frequent use of two panel illustrations and the lack of text on the page. The lack of text is not a negative aspect, and actually makes the story feel focused and concise. It also lets Miller’s illustrations do a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of telling the story. Some of the text almost feels like a caption, offering the reader a bit of context for what they are seeing. The illustrations are very strong and manage to capture the emotion being expressed in every scene. What I loved most about the illustrations is that there is a cohesion in character design. Things like color choice and facial features don’t shift page to page. Miller instead keeps everything, especially the design for Aria, consistent throughout the book. Each illustration feels like it belongs in the wonderful world Miller has crafted.
Because of the simple sentences and basic construction of the story, I think this book would be best suited for younger readers - perhaps 1st to 3rd grade. However, the relevance of the topic (black and people of color’s hair) would make this a great text to use for middle grade students as the picturebook could be used to discuss issues associated with how society views the hair of marginalized people. This book would make a great mirror for black students (as well as other BIPOC students) as it touches on the issues our students may face, such as standards of beauty and how non BIPOC individuals react to black hair. It may also act as a window for others, revealing these issues to those unfamiliar with them and teaching a valuable lesson about personal space.
(I’m adding a link to a YouTube video of the picturebook for anyone interested in using this in their own classroom - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OItfXaBoCb4)
The story follows little Aria, a young girl who loves her soft, curly, and bouncy locks. However, her beautiful head of hair seems to come with a strange consequence - everyone else, including a giant purple dragon and little green aliens, wants to touch her hair. Aria tries to escape the unwanted invasion of her personal space but finds that being away from others makes her lonely. Finally, Aria learns how to say “no” and learns how to articulate her needs as people around her learn the importance of asking permission.
Don’t Touch My Hair! feels like a short read, even at 32 pages. I believe this is due to the frequent use of two panel illustrations and the lack of text on the page. The lack of text is not a negative aspect, and actually makes the story feel focused and concise. It also lets Miller’s illustrations do a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of telling the story. Some of the text almost feels like a caption, offering the reader a bit of context for what they are seeing. The illustrations are very strong and manage to capture the emotion being expressed in every scene. What I loved most about the illustrations is that there is a cohesion in character design. Things like color choice and facial features don’t shift page to page. Miller instead keeps everything, especially the design for Aria, consistent throughout the book. Each illustration feels like it belongs in the wonderful world Miller has crafted.
Because of the simple sentences and basic construction of the story, I think this book would be best suited for younger readers - perhaps 1st to 3rd grade. However, the relevance of the topic (black and people of color’s hair) would make this a great text to use for middle grade students as the picturebook could be used to discuss issues associated with how society views the hair of marginalized people. This book would make a great mirror for black students (as well as other BIPOC students) as it touches on the issues our students may face, such as standards of beauty and how non BIPOC individuals react to black hair. It may also act as a window for others, revealing these issues to those unfamiliar with them and teaching a valuable lesson about personal space.
(I’m adding a link to a YouTube video of the picturebook for anyone interested in using this in their own classroom - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OItfXaBoCb4)