Welcome to my latest blog post which is part of a blog tour with Lantana Publishing. Lantana Publishing are an independent publishing house who want to see all children see themselves in books. They pride themselves on their diverse picture books and BAME authors and illustrators and their latest book (due to be published April 11th) is a brilliant one.
Written by Maryam al Serkal and illustrated by Rebeca Luciani, Mira’s Curly Hairis a heartwarming tale based around self acceptance. This is Maryam al Serkal’s debut picture book which I’m sure will resonate with many.
Mira has curly hair but she really wants straight hair. She attempts many things to get hair to be straight including, standing on her head and using a stack of books to flatten her hair. However, I’m sure you won’t be surprised, but nothing she tries transforms her hair they way Mira would like. Though the subject matter may not strike important to some, it really is a sensitive topic to others and this is what inspired Maryam al Serkal to write this book, after realising that her daughter was not happy about her hair.
Mira’s mother’s hair is exactly how Mira would like hers to be, straight and smooth. Little does Mira know that actually this is not the case at all. During a stroll with her mother it starts to rain and Mira witnesses her mother’s hair transforming. Mira is in amazement and just like the illustrations throughout the book, this is wonderfully captured with Mira staring at her mother’s hair. Her mother’s hair was beginning to look like her own hair!
The book though simply written, is a thought provoking read. It made me consider what we model to our children, not only in our actions but also in appearance too. It is a beautifully diverse read which prize winning Rebeca Lucini has illustrated so wonderfully. She has captured the diverse community in which Mira lives brilliantly with the inclusion of Arab men and hijab wearing women amongst palm trees and buildings resembling Islamic architecture, perhaps somewhere in the emirates. With this in mind we hoped to work with Rebeca Luciani as part of our blog piece and she said yes.
Drawing Mira as shown by illustrator Rebeca Luciani.
Delighted that Rebeca Luciani has shared with us how she draws Mira and you can try too with this step to step tutorial.
Thank you also to Lantana Publishing for providing me with a copy of this lovely picture book and inviting me on the blog tour.
If you would like to read more about Mira’s Curly hair and find out more about the author and illustrator do explore the posts in the blog tour. Here is more information:
Disclaimer: All words and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.