October 14 – Be Bald and Be Free Day

Happy Be Bald Day!

Today is Be Bald and Be Free Day. It’s about embracing baldness, but I also think of our national symbol of freedom, the bald eagle. So today I’ve chosen a few picture books with very different focuses on being bald.

A Bald Eagle’s World written and illustrated by Caroline Arnold (2010)

Caroline Arnold presents the world of the bald eagle to picture book readers with simple yet accurate text and pictures. She doesn’t shy from using scientific terms, but her descriptions and definitions are easy to comprehend. From the nest to the skies, the life cycle of the bald eagle is explored and recorded for young enthusiasts.

Dad’s Bald Head written by Paul Many and illustrated by Kevin O’Malley (2007)

Pete and his dad share a morning routine, even shaving… until one morning when Pete’s dad shaves his head! Pete isn’t so sure he likes it. But the more he looks at what other men do with their hair, he likes his dad’s more and more.  By the end of the day, Pete is okay with his dad’s new style and gives him a big kiss on the head before he says good-night.

Our Mom Has Cancer written and illustrated by Abigail and Adrienne Ackermann (2001)

Abigail and Adrienne wrote this book about their own experience when their mother was diagnosed with cancer. The girls were only 9 and 11 years old when they wrote it, and they focused mostly on how they felt going to friends’ homes, eating casseroles cooked by others, and wearing their mother’s hat after their aunt gave her a hat party. When their mother decided to shave her head, the girls went with her and were able to shave some of the hair themselves. When it was done, Abby exclaimed, ” Mommy, you’re all face!” They didn’t like how the treatments made their mother sick and unable to do things with them, but she’s feeling better now and they wanted to tell their story to other kids.

One I’ve recommended before, The Lemonade Club by Patricia Polacco (2007) is about a young girl and her teacher who both lose their hair due to cancer treatments and the support of their fifth grade classmates in shaving their heads too. You can read the entire story summary it HERE.