Emma bought another book by me!
The Good Hair Day is similar to Teddy’s Favorite Toy, in that it was inspired by my childhood. I used to have a brown T-shirt that I’d wear on my head to represent long locks. I’d pretend to be Lynda Carter (her work as Wonder Woman had an enormous impact on my youth), spinning in circles, tossing my hair back and forth. The spark that got me to put words to keyboard was seeing (my good friends) Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake get a bunch of ignorant comments on their Instagram feed when they posted a pic of their son (who has long, curly hair).
Living in a big city, as I do, it’s easy to forget that traditional gender norms are alive and well in many places. Even in places where boys are not expected to conform to old ideas, we can’t forget that kids are watching and listening and interpreting the world around them. A few negative comments from grumpy grandpa, for example, can make a kid feel like they can’t grow out their hair.
J Yang is creating the art—I can’t wait to see what he comes up with!