Happy to Be Nappy

Happy to Be Nappy
by Bell Hooks
Illustrated by, Chris Raschka

This picture book poetically illustrates the joy and beauty of "nappy" hair. I enjoyed the poetic verse, and I thought the artwork in the book was cute, with bold colors and paint depicting young African American children with a variety of hair styles and looks. The text of the story appears in cursive writing, looking like it was written with a black crayon. This adds to the innocence of the book, and I think helps the author to evoke the sense of self-pride and confidence that she hopes children will feel regarding their own identity.

In my mind, the book by itself contains very little controversy. I think most people would agree that all children should feel confident and self assured in their appearance and their cultural identity. For an African American parent to read this book to his or her daughter probably will not spark to much controversy. However, if a white teacher is reading this book to her class, I can understand that some controversy might arise. The term "nappy hair" could be considered insulting when coming from an individual who is not a member of the African American culture. For this reason, I would be very cautious presenting this book in my own classroom (I am a white female). In my social studies methods course we discussed this book, and our instructor shared that a teacher was fired for reading this book to her class. As teachers, we strive include diverse perspectives and books with a wide range of cultural influences into our classroom. However, care must be taken not to inadvertently offend or use materials that could be misinterpreted. I think that this book has a great message for all kids- kids should should feel happy about their bodies, their hair, and themselves! However, I think the risk of misinterpretation would be great, and therefore I probably would steer away from this book in my elementary school classroom.