Nowhere Hair

Author: Sue Glader
Illustrator: Edith Buenen
Publisher: Thousand Words Press

Despite being written about a serious and potentially frightening subject, ‘Nowhere Hair’ has a real sense of fun and lightness to it which should appeal to young children without distracting from the numerous important messages woven into the book.

The story opens with a little girl looking at her mother sitting at her dressing table. In the first illustration we see that Mommy is bald. The girl starts searching for the lost hair, and the story takes on the classic whimsical ‘guessing/finding’ game that young children always delight in: is the hair under the bed, or stuffed in grandma’s pillow, a cloak for a cat or feathering a bird’s nest? Mom provides the answer in a simple straightforward manner:

“The Day I asked her where it went
She had a simple answer
I’m bald because of medicine
I take to cure my cancer”.

We go on to catch a glimpse of the family dynamic as Mom has her cancer treatment. Things have changed: Mom has less energy than before and can’t go to the park as much (she’s seen resting on the couch as the girl plays) and sometimes gets a little more cranky. There is an amazing array of hats and scarves to play with! These become a form of self-expression for the mother (‘There’s one for every mood’). When Mom is feeling very confident, she goes out without anything covering her bald head. The doubts and fears of the girl are met with simple explanations, reassurance and a lot of love by her parents.

This is clearly a picture book that has been developed with a good deal of thought, research and careful consideration. The outcome of the mother’s cancer treatment and what happens to the family dynamic afterwards has not been covered, allowing it to be suitable for families experiencing a wide variety of scenarios. The story ends before Mom’s hair grows back.

Edith Buenen has created stunning illustrations to enhance Sue Glader’s words – graceful figures painted with bold paint strokes – reminiscent of fashion illustrations. The mother moves elegantly through the story looking every bit the powerful and capable woman rather than the victim of an illness, and the changing moods and sense of fun and play between the mother and daughter is captured beautifully.

The messages we found in this book:

Acknowledgement:

“It makes me scared that she is sick”. When a loved one has a serious illness, this can be very frightening for children. They may not only be worried about the person who is ill, but also for their own health.
Change can be hard to deal with. The girl in the story doesn’t like it when her mum wears a wig that makes her look like someone else. It’s hard for her to be patient and wait for the treatment to end, and adjust to the fact that her mother has less energy than before.

Guidance:

Cancer treatment can result in hair loss. This can be challenging for the person who has the hair loss, as people may stare or treat them differently.
It’s not the child’s fault if someone they love gets sick. Young children are naturally egocentric, and they might be worried or feel guilty that they’re somehow responsible for a loved one’s illness. The girl in the story is reassured that fighting with her Dad, or being rude or cross, was definitely not the cause of Mommy’s cancer.
You can’t ‘catch’ cancer. Young children sometimes worry that they could catch someone else’s cancer, in a similar way to a cold or Covid-19. ‘Nowhere Hair’ clearly debunks the idea that cancer is catching in a simple way that children will understand.
Cancer treatment can take a long time, and to a young child, this can feel like an eternity.
Hair grows back after treatment finishes.
We should all act with kindness when meeting people with unconventional appearances (‘So if you see her, please be kind. Don’t snicker and don’t stare’). Treat others as you would like them to treat you.
An important reminder that actions and kindness are far more important than outward appearance (“It’s what’s inside that counts”).

Hope & Inspiration:

The love that Mom has for her child is as strong as it ever was.
Cancer and other serious illnesses can change lives, but not everything changes. The mother is still the capable and beautiful woman she was before her diagnosis, who loves to have fun and be a little crazy from time to time!