A joyous and affirming book about a gender creative boy.
There’s only one thing Noah really wants for his birthday: long hair. He dreams of “long, beautiful, wavy hair” that he could pile on his head or toss while dancing; hair that would flow behind him in the wind. He know that if he didn’t get haircuts, his hair would grow—but he once heard some people say “mean things about men with long hair,” and most of the boys and men he knows have short hair. He knows a couple of boys with long hair, but still thinks he can’t simply ask for it.
After his pre-birthday haircut is particularly short, he bursts into tears. Back home, however, he wraps a towel around his head and likes how it looks—and is brave enough to wear a t-shirt on his head to breakfast.
On his birthday, he gets many of the presents he asked for—plus one that he can’t guess. It’s a wig! He tries it on and declares, “I’m gorgeous!” His mom and dad show him how to put it on properly, and he happily piles it on his head and swings it around while dancing. A fast-forward to a year later shows us Noah with his real hair grown out.
This is such a lovely book about a gender creative child whose family paid attention and helped to affirm his identity. Author Christian Trimmer, a long-time children’s book editor and author, knows how to pace a story and adds touches of light humor. I also particularly like that he has both Noah’s mom and his dad help him put on the wig, to underscore that they are both supportive. Illustrator J Yang’s images capture the characters’ emotions, the details of their daily lives, and Noah’s dreams of wavy locks.
“Conversation Starters” at the end offer readers and their adults questions to ponder about different styles of hair, other forms of self-expression, gender assumptions, and being inclusive.
Highly recommended.
Noah and his family have light tan skin and dark hair. His mother uses a wheelchair.
