The Boy with Flowers in His Hair

PreS-Gr 2--As narrated by his best friend, who has dark hair and brown skin, the name of the boy with flowers in his hair is David, a white boy with long branches sticking directly out of his head in place of hair. Attached to each branch is an array of colorful flowers of many different varieties. David's flowers require watering, often attract bees, and cause the other students to laugh at how the branches and flowers poke and stick every which way. Students, of many different ethnicities, don't think David is strange until the flowers start to fall out. David is left with bare branches and the other students start to avoid him until his best friend comes up with the idea of creating colorful paper flowers to hang on the empty limbs. Soon the other children are helping to bring color back to David's boughs. Colorful digital illustrations set on a white background adorn each page of this picture book. The language is spare, and beautifully conveys from a child's perspective the adaptability and acceptance of a child facing hardship. Pair this with any favorite title on bullies, and create SEL lessons that practically write themselves. VERDICT Purchase for school libraries; this heartfelt demonstration of compassion is fantastic and realistic in equal measure.--Tracy Cronce

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Pale-skinned David and this story's brown-skinned narrator are primary-school classmates: David is "the boy with flowers in his hair, and he's my best friend." Their classroom--where kids of various abilities and skin tones interact smilingly--is a cozy place, painted by Jarvis in gentle wash and line. David's flowers stick straight up from his head, as if growing in a small garden ("Once, he had a family of birds living in his hair for a whole month"). But when "something" happens and the blooms start to drop, David's friend notices and acts. The child crafts petals for the "twiggy, spiky, and brittle" branches left behind until, with the passing of time, David's flowers return. Keeping the focus on one child's sudden change and the narrator's willingness to help, Jarvis crafts an extended metaphor about how good friends can share the burden of bad times. Ages 3-7. (Apr.)

Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

A sweet example of how to be a kind and supportive presence in the life of a struggling friend.

This tender story about emotions made manifest could help children talk about trauma and recognize its effects on themselves and others.

Accompanied by beautiful, uncluttered digital images against lots of white space, Jarvis' simple, gentle story gives adults room to explain David's hardship to young readers in their own ways. . . . A sweet example of how to be a kind and supportive presence in the life of a struggling friend.

—Kirkus Reviews

A simple yet powerful story about the importance of having a good friend to help during difficult times, . . . an effective tool for navigating complicated feelings with young readers. . . . a valuable resource for teachers, caregivers, and guidance counselors.
—School Library Connection

The story — so simple and stark, illustrated with beautiful washes of color — says so much about kindness, friendship, acceptance and being there for friends suffering something difficult, without a single wasted word. It ends in a simple, dreamlike embrace between two best friends, one covered in blossoms, both smiling.
—The Virginian Pilot