Hairdo

by Ruth Freeman, Cat Bowman Smith (Illustrator)

Hairdo!: What We Do and Did to Our Hair by Ruth Freeman Swain, playfully provides a historical and cross-cultural look at the styles that have defined society, such as an Egyptian party favor ("At evening parties, special guests were given cones of perfumed beeswax to put on top of their heads"), the wigs of Louis XIV ("to hide his thinning hair") and Native American girls' "squash blossoms" formed by coiling the hair above each ear. Ages 6-10.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, History

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2002

Reviews

[Greta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't judge a book by its cover. I did not like the illustrations..however the content is very interesting. A great book for multicultural interest in an independent reading library. Reviews historical and some cultural aspects of hairstyling. My students in my 4-6 grade reading class loved this book. Some of the topics discussed include: the long ponytails of Chinese Americans, African warrior hairstying, the wigs of the French aristocracy, political aspects of American hairatyles of the 60s. For our Living Library Museum a 5th grade African American student choose this book as her favorite and did an excellent research poster on the book... she dressed as a French aristocrat with a powered wig and mice in her hair (book explained how the lard and flour in the wigs attracted mice)...IT WAS AWESOME..I RECOMMOMEND.

[Celia Buell · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, 4 for Goodreads

For the first third or so of the book, Hairdo focuses primarily on the rich, with no mention that it was only certain (mainly white) people who wore their hair in these fashions, and nothing about the cost that it took to maintain some of these hairstyles. You have to wonder, for instance, how much of the hair for wigs came from slaves, and what the sources were in general for hairstyles of the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries.

The book does improve once it gets to the Americas. Hair throughout history is addressed, including by various Native American peoples (shoutout to the fact that the author makes a point to recognize that not all Native American people were the same, and highlighting two different cultural examples of hair customs in different communities). I especially liked how the author starts to recognize hairstyles that brought people together, and that helped bridge the gap between the rich and the poor (highlighting the shorter hairstyles of working women in the 1900s). Also of note is the way the author recognizes hair as a tool for protest in the 70s and beyond. I appreciated how this section bridged to modern use of hair and hairstyles today.

The book does talk about some of the more scientific aspects of hair as well, such as that it's genetic and determined by melanin. I liked these informative parts in conjunction with the parts that are just interesting or silly.

Hairdo is a very text-heavy book that would be better suited for older students from third or fourth grade through middle school, and definitely a book for people with specific interests. It would not do well as a read aloud, and I would not recommend it for younger students who don't know much about history and geography either.

I do appreciate that the end of the book has some follow-up scientific facts, as well as a short list for further reading.

I don't plan on purchasing this one, but wouldn't say no to a free copy.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun look at hair and its importance through history and different cultures. Lots of information presented in an engaging way. The downside to this picture book was the illustrations--the facial renderings really detracted from an otherwise interesting read.

[Taylor Durant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is an interesting informational story for children. Each page tells about what a particular group did with their hair. For example, the second page explains how ancient Egyptians sometimes wore beeswax on their head. It goes on to explain other cultures as well like Romans, English, Native Americans, Chinese, and numerous other cultures. As a teacher this book would be perfect to teach the students interesting facts about what people did to their hair in the past. They could even relate some of the styles of the past to the present. The students wouldn't get bored, because the styles that are pointed out in the book are interesting and sometimes even funny, but they still are learning about the past. It is also extremely diverse. It points out cultures from around the world and their different traditions. Almost all cultures could relate to this book in some way. The author, Ruth Freeman Swain, is a Caucasian preschool instructor. It seems she has a good idea of what young children would like to learn about. The illustrator, Cat Bowman Smith, did a wonderful job making big bold pictures that will draw in children s' attention. Each illustration also relates perfectly to the text that is on the corresponding page.

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nonfiction picture book about hairstyles and hair customs of various cultures throughout history. Information is interesting and culturally diverse. Illustrations are too cartoonish for a nonfiction book and detract from the credibility of the text. Short bibliography included at the end.

[Mary Train · Rating 1 out of 5]

First of all, too old for K kids. Also, I thought the potential for a good quality piece of non-fiction and fun was there, but hmmm...not really when reading.