"Lovie pictured strands of his hair
hugging each other until they knotted.
"My hair loves itself?"
"Yes, pickney! An' suh, you need to love
how it grows out of your head too."
"Can you make my whole head dread?"
"Yuh whole head?" Grandma squeezed
Lovie's shoulders. "Yes, mi love. If your
dads agree.""
In this second story this week of moving from a warm country to Canada, readers meet Lovie. He has moved from Jamaica where his dreads never made him feel different. He looked much the same as the other children. His life with his grandma and his dads was filled with bright color, fruit trees and gorgeous flowers. On Sunday nights he would sit with his grandma while she fixed his hair however he wanted it to be.
There was so much to miss when the family (without Grandma) moved to Spruce Grove, Newfoundland. There was only one barber willing to try to tame Lovie's curls. It seemed those curls always did exactly what they wanted to do. His dads tried; only Grandma and her hair grease were successful in taming the tangles.
Summer was easy; school in the fall offered obstacles. The other kids pulled his single dreadlock and teased him. Lovie felt sadness wash over him. He hid his dreadlock so no one would bother him. A surprise visit from Grandma for Chanukkah filled both with joy. Lovie shared his story from school. Grandma explained about their hair and what made it special. Using her hair grease, she rolled it into 'perfect little dreads'. Lovie could feel the wonder of being back in Jamaica.
His next day at school changed everything, when a boy behind him again yanked at his hair.
"Yes. They're called dreadlocks, and I love
them. And please don't touch my hair."
This is such a lovely celebration of Lovie and also a gift of understanding for listening children, with lush, colorful artwork created by Eugenie Fernandes to explore emotionsik. It is a debut picture book that is sure to find fans.
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