Title: Daddy Do My Hair? Hope’s Braids
Author: Tola Okogwu
Genre: Children (interest level 3+, reading level 5+)
Publisher: Florence Elizabeth Publishing
Publication date: 2nd May 2017
Availability: Paperback, International distribution
ISBN: 9780995486911
Price: £6.99
Website: https://daddydomyhair.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/daddy_do_hair
Facebook: https://www.facebook.
Daddy Do My Hair: Hope’s Braids, is a simple picture book which addresses prejudice based on colour, in this case hair colour. The child in the book is binational with a white father and darker skinned mother, providing gentle, apt and subtle reference to skin colour and prejudice. The presentation of the father doing the child’s hair provides further useful challenge to sexual stereotypes.
The illustrations are superb and highly appropriate for the target age range. The child’s expressions are well presented and the father’s compassion evident in the simple yet poignant images.
The format of short phrases on each page with rich illustration, is in keeping with an early reader of about 5-7 years old and that physical format is befitting to the style of the book. What is less suitable to the early reader is the prosody, with meter often stilted, so that it does not flow readily; early reader books benefit from good quality metering that trips rhythmically from the tongue, which is lacking on several pages.
On reading Daddy do my hair: Hope’s braids, I felt that the author had veered to an older audience with the general prosody, than the one which the remaining format meets. This is a disappointment given the superb quality of the imagery and the importance of the subject matter.
Wendy Charles-Warner. CPE Trustee / Director
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Lovely illustrations. I think the connection between the child and father is great, and the father doing something that the daughter loves, but isn’t a typical thing for a father to do is, is great. The message that home is a safe place and you will be listened to comes through well. I also like the father saying the child is beautiful as she is. I do think I’d have liked the fitting in / being different issue to have been addressed a bit better. It just seems a little weak.
