Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Hair For Mama


Tinkham, Kelly A. 2007. Hair for Mama. Illustrated by Amy June Bates.

October is usually family picture time for the Carters, but this year is different. Mama has cancer and all of her beautiful hair is gone because of her chemotherapy treatments. She doesn't want to be in the photo. Eight-year-old Marcus knows that the photo won't be right without Mama, but what can he do?

The book was inspired by a conversation Kelly Tinkham had with her five-year-old son when she told him she had cancer and would be losing her hair. Hair for Mama is a loving, sweet story about a family facing the uncertainty of the future. Although many things are different know that the mother is sick, one thing remains constant: love. This family loves and cares for one another deeply. Marcus's determination to save the day and give his mother hope is a wonderful thing to see depicted in a picture book. While I'm sure it's not the only picture book out there depicting serious illnesses affecting a family, it is one of few. This is a topic that is just not addressed as frequently as it should be. The text and illustrations are just right.

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