Hair oil magic / by Anu Chouhan.

Title :

Hair oil magic

Author:

Format:

Books

Summary:

Meenu discovers the magic in her culture's tradition of hair oiling, and the bond she shares with her mother and grandmother. Includes Meenu's magic hair day tips.

Language:

English

Audience:

Ages 3-6. Bloomsbury.

ISBN - ISSN:

9781547611041

1547611049

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 28 cm

Subject:

Hair -- Juvenile fiction.

Oils and fats -- Juvenile fiction.

Mothers and daughters -- Juvenile fiction.

Grandmothers -- Juvenile fiction.

East Indians -- Juvenile fiction.

Hair -- Fiction.

Oils and fats -- Fiction.

Mothers and daughters -- Fiction.

Grandmothers -- Fiction.

East Indians -- Fiction.

Picture books.

First Title value, for Searching:

Hair oil magic / by Anu Chouhan.

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Library	Audience	Home Location	Material Type	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Central	Kid/Juvenile	Picture books	New juvenile books	E CHOUH	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Collier	Kid/Juvenile	Picture books	New juvenile books	E CHOUH	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Henington-Alief	Kid/Juvenile	Picture books	New juvenile books	E CHOUH	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Hillendahl	Kid/Juvenile	Picture books	New juvenile books	E CHOUH	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Jungman	Kid/Juvenile	Picture books	New juvenile books	E CHOUH	Searching... Unknown
Searching... McGovern-Stella Link	Kid/Juvenile	Picture books	New juvenile books	E CHOUH	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Park Place	Kid/Juvenile	Picture books	New juvenile books	E CHOUH	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Robinson-Westchase	Kid/Juvenile	Picture books	New juvenile books	E CHOUH	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Vinson	Kid/Juvenile	Picture books	New juvenile books	E CHOUH	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Walter	Kid/Juvenile	Picture books	New juvenile books	E CHOUH	Searching... Unknown

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.

Author Notes

Anu Chouhan is a Canadian illustrator and art director. A trained animator with a background in video game development, Anu often combines her love of her Punjabi cultural heritage into her art, as well as drawing inspiration from anime, nature, and fashion. She is the illustrator of A Dupatta Is. . . and the graphic novel adaptation of the New York Times bestselling book Aru Shah and the End of Time .
www.anumation.ca
IG: @anumation
Twitter: @anumationart

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

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. (Feb.)

Kirkus Review

A young South Asian girl revels in her family's ritual of hair oiling. Meenu always looks forward to Sundays, when her mother gently massages sweet-smelling oils into her hair. To Meenu, this feels like "floating stars twinkling around her heart!" and washing the oil leaves her hair shiny and soft. One Sunday, Meenu decides to mix up the magic oils all by herself but struggles to re-create the magic of her mother's concoction. When her slippery hands lead to a mishap, a disappointed Meenu cries in frustration. As her mother gently washes her hair--without the oils--the magical feeling returns, to Meenu's surprise. Biji, her grandmother, explains that the magic lies in her mother's love and in passing down this shared ritual. Mommy explains that her mother used to oil her hair, as did her mother's mother, stretching back many generations. A happier Meenu basks in the warmth and love of her family and treats her mother to her own Magic Hair Day. This is a sweet, deeply relatable story centered on a common South Asian ritual. Cartoonish illustrations depict large-eyed characters and swirls of color--appropriate, given the theme of magic. Cultural markers--the kara, a stainless-steel bracelet worn by the women, and framed pictures of a turbaned man and the Golden Temple--cue the family as Sikh. A tender celebration of the simple traditions that bind families. (author's note, hair-oiling tips) (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

Every Sunday, Meenu's mother massages a mixture of sweet-smelling oils into Meenu's hair. It is a cozy, intimate routine, with Meenu sitting in her mother's lap, relaxed and calm. Her mother's hands and the hair oil create a tingly feeling of happiness. The oil is allowed a few hours to work its magic while Meenu plays and helps around the house. At bath time, the oil is washed out, leaving Meenu's hair silky and shiny. One day, to prove that she is grown up, Meenu decides to create the tingly magic feeling for herself, but her attempt results in a sad mishap, and Meenu learns that the magic is not in the oil but rather the connection between her and her mother. This sweet, charmingly illustrated tale will resonate with readers and their caregivers who share the hair-oiling ritual and will create points of connection with readers from other cultures in which women care for each other's hair through similar intergenerational traditions. Back matter adds a personal note from the author and tips on oiling hair.