As a mother, it is very important to me that my daughter is able to see herself represented in the world she lives in. This includes the toys she plays with, shows she watches and most importantly, the books she reads. It wasn’t until recently that I realised just how difficult this was going to be. The lack of diversity in children’s literature is a very big and on-going issue. It’s one that doesn’t seem to have an easy or ready solution.

We live in a world where Black people are often only shown in a negative light. A world where people have to be reminded via hashtags that ‘Black Lives Matter’ and where Black men are rarely celebrated but are well ‘known’ for being absent fathers. I wanted to show a different view, the one that is more familiar to me. A world where my father is present and my husband is active and very involved in his daughter’s life. Right down to doing her hair on the days I’m at work and he has to take her to nursery.

This is the reason why I created the Daddy Do My Hair book series. There are lots of children’s books celebrating fatherhood, several which feature people of colour and even a few about Black hair but there aren’t many that cover all three at once. My aim with the Daddy Do My Hair Series is to show the different forms the father-child relationship can take and to create the opportunity for every child to read books that are reflective of their own experiences, backgrounds and cultures.

More info: daddydomyhair.com

My inspiration: My husband and daughter

Front cover of the book

Beth and her daddy

Beth’s beautiful twists

A spread from the book

My daughter and I

Why We Need Diverse Books

New Picture Book | Daddy Do My Hair? Beth’s Twists

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