Much Hairdo About Nothing: Father-Daughter Dance - Hardcover

Wise, Marshalette R

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0996394648 ISBN 13: 9780996394642

Publisher: Wise Scholars Publishing, 2016

Synopsis

Morgan is going to a Father-Daughter Dance. She has a pretty pink dress and a new pair of jazzy white shoes, but she does not know how she will style her hair. Morgan also learns a valuable lesson when she gets to the dance. What could it be?

Much Hairdo About Nothing: Father-Daughter Dance, a 64-page story and activity book, is especially appealing to young readers because it highlights two very important relationships in the life of a little girl—the relationship she has with her father and with her hair. Both can have a substantial impact on her self-image and self-esteem.

 
The Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking assignments—coupled with the Choose the Hairstyles, Matching, Homonyms, Dictionary, The Science of Hair, History in Review, Crossword Puzzle, Word Search, Word Scramble, Paper Dolls, Drawing, and Coloring activity sheets—make Much Hairdo About Nothing: Father-Daughter Dance a fun, yet educational way for young readers to practice the critical-thinking skills needed to excel in their academia. The Answer Key is also provided.

Much Hairdo About Nothing: Father-Daughter Dance is the ideal book for young readers, parents, and teachers. Parents can engage in the reading process and assist their child with completing the various activities. Teachers can utilize the worksheets for a student-centered, whole-class lesson. Young readers will enjoy the experience, at home or school, while being encouraged to take ownership of their learning.

About this title

Review

The wonderful story "Much Hairdo About Nothing," which was crypted from Shakespeare's famous comedy "Much Ado About Nothing," is not only a book for parents and kids, but it is also for educators as well. Ms. Marshalette Wise takes the reader on a magical journey from Morgan's point of view. The main question, throughout the story, is the following: "But, how will Morgan style her hair?" More specifically, we are invited to witness Morgan experiment with a variety of hairstyles such as the popular Fishtail, Cornrows, and Bantu knots. The illustrations both reinforce and highlight the importance of these traditional hairstyles as well. The theme of the father-daughter dance climaxes at the end of the story in which Morgan happily concludes that all of her worries about which hairstyle to select was "much hairdo about nothing." This conclusion cleverly links the reader right back to the title. Thus, the "wheel has come full circle" as Shakespeare wrote in the tragedy of "King Lear." AFROCENTRIC APPROACH: This story encompasses an Afrocentric traditional approach to hairstyles. However, it does exhibit cultural dramatic cross-over appeal. Young girls across the globe will be able to easily identify with Morgan's penchant to experiment with a variety of hairstyles. The end product will elevate self-esteem and boost one's confidence as we witnessed during the father daughter dance in which Morgan transformed from being initially worried and perplexed about her hairstyles to being satisfied with her final choice. This narrative arc, from one of conflict to solution, is popular in many stories for children. In addition, this story also emphasizes the importance of the father daughter symbiosis. This story is specifically centered around a traditional father daughter dance which reinforces the father daughter bond which is often taken for granted or denied all together. It is a nice reminder that fathers are not only role-models but they are an integral part of the lives of their children. READING STRATEGIES: If you are a tutor or a teacher, then this story is both ripe and rich with potential reliable reading strategies such as the echo and assisted. More specifically, tutors and librarians will relish the fact that they can read a stanza and ask the students to echo/repeat it back which is similar to the African call and response method. Thinking ahead, Ms. Wise includes specific reading and matching comprehension questions that fulfill this academic necessity. Educators can easily incorporate this book into a unit or theme based curriculum. MULTICULTURAL MOTIFS: Clearly, Ms. Wise adopts a multicultural perspective. The hairstyles are rooted in African American traditions. The Bantu Knots and Fishtail styles hold historical meaning. For example, did you know that Bantu itself is a major branch of the Niger-Congo language family spoken by most populations in Sub-Saharan Africa? It is true. According to the book, "The History of Cornrow Braiding," "Cornrows, also known as rows, braids, or cornrows in the Caribbean, are a traditional African style of hair grooming where the hair is braided very close to the scalp, using an underhand, upward motion to produce a continuous, raised row." STYLE: This interplay between text and hair is both creative and clever. It lures the reader in while salt-and-peppering the plot with suspense! The construction of the book, which consists of thematic illustrations juxtaposed to rhyming text, is a creative structure to be emulated! Each illustration ties in directly with the text. This type of meticulous visual lay-out, textual strategy, and construction took a lot of foresight indeed! In other words, Ms. Wise had to map out and strategically plan with her illustrator every single step of the way, in order that the hairstyle and illustration matched the meaning of the text! -Thea STone (Amazon Review)

About this edition

• Publisher: Wise Scholars Publishing
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0996394648
• ISBN 13: 9780996394642
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 66
• Illustrator: Bosia Soweto