Good Hair

When a little girl declares that she hates her hair, her parents show her that good hair is whatever hair you have in this celebration of self-acceptance—and the diversity of beauty.

Birungi doesn’t want to go to school today. Waking up is hard, but doing her hair is harder. “I hate my hair!” she declares. “It’s just no good.” Luckily, Birungi’s parents know the secret to good hair. As they walk through town, they show her that hair can be black, gray, blond, or sometimes even blue. It can reach for the sky or fall straight to the ground, be worn in rows or curls, twirl or kink or flow or frizz. There are as many different types of hair as there are different kinds of people, and each person’s hair, no matter how it grows, needs the same special care and attention as all the other wonderful parts of them. With humor, joy, and empathy, writer Yvonne Sewankambo and illustrator Freda Chiu reach out to readers who may feel frustrated by their hair, showing the power of self-love and reveling in the unique beauty of every crown.

Yvonne Sewankambo is a Ugandan-Canadian writer and publicist who has worked on campaigns across several industries, including publishing, film, television, education, and the nonprofit sector. Having lived in four countries on three different continents (and traveled to even more), she is passionate about telling stories that transcend borders. Yvonne Sewankambo lives in Sydney, Australia.

Freda Chiu is a freelance illustrator, author, and educator at the University of Technology Sydney. She is inspired by her love of children’s picture books, indie comics, horror movies, and good stories. She was short-listed for the Children’s Book Council of Australia Award for New Illustrator and the IBBY Australia Ena Noël Award. Freda Chiu lives in Sydney, Australia.