Oni is one of the Alphabet Kids, a group of kids from the Alphabet Afterschool Center who have fun learning about the languages, celebrations, food and music of one another's cultures. In this story, Oni is the new kid and has to learn how to handle being different. She is singled out for having hair different from the other kids', but Oni learns from her parents why her beautiful beaded locks are so special and unique. The illustrations are high gloss, computer-colored pictures with vibrant, fun color contrasts. The book is also a convenient small size, perfect for outings.
Lessons abound in this story, providing excellent fodder for parent-toddler conversations on manners and acceptance. Omi feels nervous about her first day at the Alphabet learning center. Has your child ever been the new kid somewhere, or even just felt nervous about something? Omar is the first Alphabet kid to approach Oni, and he introduces himself and takes her around to help her feel more comfortable. Ask your little one to imagine how brave he was for doing that, and how much better it make Oni feel. Allegra inadvertently hurts Oni's feelings by calling her hair 'weird' and 'crunchy.' However, Allegra does the right thing by apologizing the next day, which also took some bravery. Oni is very gracious to forgive Allegra and share what her parents told her, "My hair is twisty! And twirly, too! And strong! My hair has the life of Africa in it."
My three year-old friend Sam was quite excited about the beads in Oni's hair, especially when she brought beads for all of the Alphabet kids to try on at the end of the book. As I figured he would, Sam looks at me and asks if we can wear beads in our hair too. Sam's is not long enough, and we didn't have any beads, so we settled for taping small construction paper loops in my hair. I don't think the trend will be catching on any time soon though!
--Audra