Oni's Good Hair Day

All Ages

Birth - 12 months

Oni's Good Hair Day

by Alphabet Kids

The Alphabet Kids books follow the adventures of Allegra, Elena, Isaac, Oni, Umar and Yang, a group of children having fun while learning about the diverse aspects of their cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The stories are intended to help children love who they are, and realize that people who are different can be very good friends.

Age: 3 Year-olds | Title: Oni's Good Hair Day | Author: Alphabet Kids | Publisher: Alphabet Kids

Why we chose this book

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

About the creators

Allegra Joyce Kassin is the creator of the Alphabet Kids concept. She is a devoted mother of five and grandmother of seven. With a strong belief in family values and deeply committed to multicultural understanding, she brings unique vision, clarity, continuity and extraordinary leadership to the Alphabet Kids team. She is involved in every aspect of development of the Alphabet Kids characters and their stories. She has brought them to life to share with the children of the world! Allegra Joyce has been engaged in wide ranging philanthropic activities from childhood well-being and health to community development and educational enrichment for over thirty years.

Patrice Samara is co-author of the Alphabet Kids books and Executive in Charge of Development. An Emmy Award-winning producer and United Nations NGO Representative, she has with over twenty years expertise in communications and entertainment. She has won over fifty awards for creativity and excellence including two Parent’s Choice Awards and the 2010 Global Citizenship Award for Helping Humanity from Orphans International. Patrice combined her dedication to educational equality, literacy, and multiculturalism utilizing her global resources to make the Alphabet Kids a virtual celebration of diversity.