Hair Oil Magic
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
A beautiful picture book about the joyful magic in the tradition of hair oiling and a celebration of the bond between parent and child.
Meenu loves Magic Hair Days, when Mommy mixes sweet-smelling oils together and massages the potion into Meenu's scalp and hair. It always leaves Meenu with a fuzzy, magical feeling. And after bath time, when Mom washes the oils out, Meenu's hair is soft and shining.
When Meenu decides one day to mix the oils without any help, she discovers something's wrong: No matter how many oils she mixes, the magic just isn't there!
What is she missing? But when Mommy comes to help, massaging Meenu's head, the fuzzy, magical feeling returns! Was it really in the oils, or something else? Inspired by Anu Chouhan's own memories and family, this author-illustrator debut is a lovely depiction of a cultural tradition and a delightful story that emphasizes that magical bond between parents and children.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A shared Sunday ritual proves a key ingredient in this intergenerational family story. Young Meenu Kaur knows Sunday as "Magic Hair Day," when Mommy mixes up her "magic potion" of oils in a bowl: "Then, Meenu would nestle into Mommy's lap as she gently massaged her potion onto Meenu's scalp." And after her hair absorbs the oils throughout the day, a special shampoo at bath time leaves her wavy locks "bouncy and sparkly." Best of all, though, she loved "the fuzzy, magical feeling she got when the oil was massaged into her hair. It was like little floating stars twinkling around her heart!"Determined to prove that she is old enough to do it herself, the child tries to mix the oils—fenugreek, rosemary, castor, and coconut—with disastrous results, and learns from Biji and Mommy both that the magic "is in the ritual that has been passed down for generations." Chouhan's warm-hued digital art adds richness to this tale of one South Asian family's weekly custom—and the way a centuries-old cultural practice is handed down through the generations. An author's note and Meenu's Magic Hair Day tips conclude. Ages 3–6.
