Nappy Hair

Nappy Hair

By: Carolivia Herron, Joe Cepeda (Illustrator)
Genre: Multi-Cultural fiction
Children's Literature



Nappy Hair is a multi-cultural picture book I received when I was a young girl from my uncle who is a teacher because he knew I had low self esteem because of my nappy hair. The book sends a message to love yourself and be proud of who you are. The book is full of beautiful colorful images that grab children's attention.

The story is about a little girl named Brenda who has hair that is always "knotted-up, twisted, nappy hair." Throughout the story her family makes describes her hair in a funny way but at the same time enjoys the beauty and meaning of African American hair and the way God intent's the hair to be.

The dialogue is displayed in different font sizes and styles to show emotion and tone throughout the book. The rich and rhythmic language of the text makes this an ideal book for reading aloud. Because the author uses the “call and response” style that is often used in African American storytelling and song, this is a perfect book for engaging the entire class in “performing” the story in art.

In addition to the obvious strength in language, Nappy Hair also asks readers to think about the themes of family, cultural diversity, stereotypes and prejudices, pride, and a sense of self.

This book became a controversy in the public school system when a teacher read it to a class and the parents found out and became upset not truly understanding the meaning behind the book.

 

 

 

 

FAMILY–Ask students to write their definition of family. How do they know Brenda is close to her family? Discuss the difference between an immediate and an extended family. Have students draw and label a picture of their extended family at a special family gathering. Give them the opportunity to share their picture and tell about their family.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY–Brainstorm things that all children have in common regardless of race or culture. What might Brenda teach someone from another culture
who feels different? Have students research the many different cultures that exist in the United States. How does cultural diversity make our nation a better place?

STEREOTYPES/PREJUDICE–Engage the class in a discussion about the meaning of the words stereotype and prejudice. Encourage students to talk with their parents or other adults about common stereotypes (e.g., “dumb blonde”). Is Brenda’s “nappy” hair a stereotype or a characteristic? Why is it wrong to stereotype people? How can that lead to prejudice? How can knowing a person from the inside change attitudes about stereotypes?

PRIDE–Ask students to locate places in the book that indicate Brenda is proud of her African heritage. She feels that her hair is a very special part of her culture. How do you know that she is not interested in changing her hair? Pride comes from within a person. How can a person outwardly show pride? Allow students time to share something about themselves that makes them proud.

SENSE OF SELF–Ask each student to draw a self-portrait. Then pair the students and have them draw a picture of their partner. When finished, have students compare and contrast their self-portrait and the picture drawn by their partner. Engage the class in a discussion about whether their self-portrait or the picture drawn by their partner reveals how they may be feeling

CONNECTING TO THE CURRICULUMLANGUAGE ARTS–The text in Nappy Hair is written in dialect. Have the class rewrite a portion of the text in Standard English. How does this change the flavor and tone of the book? What does Uncle Mordecai mean when he says that Brenda “talks the king’s English”? As author Carolivia Herron notes, this is one of the most important pages of the text for teachers: “Here is a man who obviously cannot speak standard English, and he’s praising someone who can speak standard English.”

Almost everyone has tangled hair at some time. Uncle Mordecai says that combing Brenda’s hair is like “crunching through snow.” Ask each student to write a simile that best describes combing his or her tangled hair. Make a bulletin board titled “Tangled Hair” and feature the similes written by the students.

ART–Ask students to study the illustrations in the book. How do the color tones change in the scenes of Africa? How does the artist show that Brenda is having a rollicking good time at the family picnic? Tell how the motion and movement of the illustrations resemble a dance.

Sometimes artists use exaggeration to draw the readers’ focus to a specific place on the page. Locate places in the book where Joe Cepeda uses exaggeration in his illustrations. What is a caricature? Ask students to create a caricature from their self-portraits. Then have them explain the exaggeration they featured in their caricature.

SCIENCE–Have students examine one of their hairs under a microscope or with a magnifying glass, asking them to describe the shape of the hair follicle. Then allow students time to examine the hair follicles from their classmates. What conclusion can be drawn from such an experiment?

MUSIC–Have the class listen to a blues song. Then discuss how the music makes them feel. How does the text of Nappy Hair remind them of a blues song?
Talk with the class about the development of rap music. Divide students into small groups and ask them to perform the text of the book as a rap.

THEATER/CREATIVE DRAMA–Explain that Nappy Hair is written as African American call and response. This type of storytelling was created by slaves in the 1800s. Participants would use their voices to express how they were feeling at that moment, changing the volume or rhythm to fit the mood.

 

I love this book!

Bibliography:
Cepeda, J., & Herron, C. (1999). Nappy hair. New York, NY: Knopf.

Work Cited:
http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780679894452&view=tg