To the Bald, Bold, and Beautiful!

 Review by Ronica Wahi



Bald is Beautiful: A Letter for A Fabulous Girl

Writer: Carola Schmidt

Illustrator and Designer: Dian Ovieta

First published: September 15, 2019, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

Kindle Edition published: May 10, 2020.

Pages: 24. 

ASIN: B088GRZTKP

The title itself asserts that bald is beautiful; lack of hair doesn’t take away a girl’s beauty and fabulousness, for these lie in her strength, cheerfulness, and smiling face in times both good and bad. By not naming the girl, the letter speaks to not one but to each and every girl, regardless of whether she is bald at the moment she reads it.

The letter begins,

“Hey, girl,

You’re beautiful….”

and with an illustration alongside showing little locks of hair on the floor. The next page says,

“And LOVED!”

and shows the bald girl. So, right at the start, the book shows that loss of hair is not loss of beauty or worth.

Written simply and lucidly for the benefit of young readers, the letter gives hope and reassurance to a young girl or any kid, in fact, who may have gone bald or may be facing the prospect. Though Carola Schmidt cares for young cancer patients, and writes scientific content and children’s books about cancer, in this one, she refrains from mentioning cancer or chemotherapy; this makes the book relevant for those who may have lost or may lose hair for reasons other than cancer too.

The little girl has loving friends, among them a loyal dog, who are with her in her brave moments. So, this book could tell other kids who are not bald to be more accepting and understanding of those who are. It offers suggestions on how baldness can not only be accepted but also enjoyed.

Three cheers for Dian Ovieta whose illustrations are pretty and cheery. Visuals here much enhance the impact of Schmidt’s encouraging words. There’s a page with no words dedicated to the little bald girl trying to prettify herself. In this, it’s her smile that is the prettiest; her happiness ensures she remains delightful to look at!

One utterly cute and endearing illustration is wherein the girl shows her friends the drawing of a sunflower made with a smiling face and petals around that face, and herself dressed with a headpiece and a smile that make her resemble the sunflower.

It would have been good to have added a bit about how a kid could deal in case someone, such as another kid who is too young to understand her situation, acts not too sensitive or accepting towards her, or makes fun of her.

Overall, it’s a good children’s book - small and sweet, like the girl in it. The subject, it goes without saying, is an important one. This book gives strength and hope, pointing out that this baldness is a phase and will pass. It shows the girl happy and confident, with or without her hat or scarf. Elders might not enjoy the book for the written content and the illustrations are the sort meant for little kids, but for the nostalgic-kind, the illustrations might take them back to the kind of visual treats they enjoyed as kids.

So, gift this book to kids to tell them to love themselves and to love life, whatever the challenges. Tell them that strength in adversity is beauty too!

Also, do read Fifteen Stars Under the Sky! to know about the inspiring stories of kids who are real-life heroes – they are not as young as the little girl in Bald is Beautiful: A Letter for A Fabulous Girl, but they are young for choosing the paths that they are treading.

This day – 14th of November – is Children’s Day in India! Happy Children’s Day to all children and all adults who have kept alive the child within! 😊

 

Amazon India link for Bald is Beautiful (Kindle): https://amzn.to/3nIQkwb


Do watch Carola’s interview wherein she explains the approach for pregnant women suffering from leukemia, the ways in which cancer can be prevented in children, the way for patients to prepare for chemotherapy, and more:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnbykKs_vlc


DISCLAIMER: Ronica Wahi is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. If you make a purchase through any of the Amazon links provided by Ronica here, she may receive a small commission, without any extra cost to you.


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