• Age: 0 to 3
• Grade: p

Natural, knotty, fluffy, frizzy, twisted, tangled, pony, puffed!

A celebration of natural hair, from afros to cornrows and everything in between, My Hair is Beautiful is a joyful board book with a powerful message of self-love.

Governor General's Award-nominated author Shauntay Grant brings her unique spoken-word style to this fun read-aloud, featuring minimalist text and vibrant photos of toddlers sporting fresh dos, and a mirror to reflect your own baby's beauty.

Shauntay Grant is a poet, playwright, interdisciplinary artist, and children’s author who lives and works in Kjipuktuk, Mi’kma’ki (Halifax, Nova Scotia). A former poet laureate for the City of Halifax, she “creates artworks that are engaging and accessible, but also challenging, rigorous, and informed by deep research” (Royal Society of Canada). Her play The Bridge (Playwrights Canada Press) premiered at Neptune Theatre’s Fountain Hall, a co-production between 2b theatre company and Neptune in association with Obsidian Theatre Company. Set in a rural Black Nova Scotian community, this multilayered story of a family torn apart by betrayal received eleven Robert Merritt Award nominations, winning four, including for Outstanding New Play by a Nova Scotian. Grant’s first stage play Steal Away Home won the Jury Award for Outstanding Drama at the Atlantic Fringe Festival. Her other plays include KK (Boca Del Lupo, Red Phone project), Passing (Eastern Front Theatre, Micro Digitals project), and the ten-minute monodrama Beyere (Obsidian Theatre Company, 21 Black Futures project). An associate professor of creative writing at Dalhousie University, Grant holds professional degrees in creative writing, music, and journalism. Her theatrical work for young audiences has toured with Neptune Theatre’s Tour Company, and she has been commissioned by Against the Grain Theatre to write the text/poetry for Identity: A Song Cycle. She is the editor of the anthology From the Ashes: Six Solo Plays (Playwrights Canada Press) which collects groundbreaking solo plays by Black Canadian women and womxn. Her first solo stage play is in development with 2b theatre company. Grant is the author of several books for children including My Fade Is Fresh (Penguin), When I Wrap My Hair (HarperCollins), and Africville (Groundwood), which won a Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award. Her other honours include an Established Artist Recognition Award from Arts Nova Scotia, a Poet of Honour prize from Spoken Word Canada, a Joseph S. Stauffer prize from the Canada Council for the Arts, and Arts Nova Scotia’s inaugural Black Artist Recognition Award.

Shauntay Grant's profile page

"This country's children's literature still does not seem to adequately reflect the diversity in Canadian society, hence this book is a valuable addition to the body of works meant for the youngest children. It confirms the cruciality of minority children seeing themselves in stories. A book for all children's library collections." — Canadian Review of Materials (Winnipeg, MB)
CBC Books listed My Hair is Beautiful in their "11 Canadian books for kids and young adults to check out during Black History Month".

Gorgeous. The best-looking board book of the year, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Grant shows off a wide array of babies and toddlers and their magnificent hair. "Natural Knotty", "Fluffy Frizzy", "Twisted Tangled", "Pony Puffed", you name it, it's here. And, of course, there's a mirror in the back for "you". Buy 100 of these. It will never be enough. - School Library Journal, Best of 2020 Board Books, Betsy Bird

Best of 2020 Board Books, Betsy Bird

Best Board Books of 2020 selection,
Thechildrensbookreview.com

"My Hair is Beautiful celebrates children with all manner of skin tones and hair types, while also carrying an empowering message for families and children of colour, for whom wearing hair is both culturally significant and vital to form a positive sense of self."
— Quill & Quire (Toronto, ON)