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Hair For Mama By Kelly Tinkham

908 Words4 Pages
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Recommended: Essays about childhood cancer

Hair for Mama, written by Kelly Tinkham and illustrated by Amy June Bates, tells the heart-wrenching story of Marcus, a boy whose mother recently discovered she had cancer. As she began chemotherapy, physical effects began to take a toll on her body, leaving her without the hair she cherished. Mama was devastated as she believed that hair was an essential aspect to her family’s picture day. Seeing her visibly upset, Marcus exclaimed that he would get her hair and developed a plan to give his hair to her. However, after getting his haircut, Marcus became so shocked at his appearance that he hadn’t noticed that his hair had been thrown away. Nevertheless, when Mama found out about Marcus’ attempt to fulfill his promise, her entire demeanor changed …show more content…

It had been approximately two months since Mama’s cancer diagnosis and the chemotherapy had already greatly affected her. Not only did she no longer have hair, but she was constantly tired and had lost interest in what she used to love. This supports the main purpose of this children’s book, which is to educate children on the challenging topic of cancer and its potential impacts on individuals with cancer. Furthermore, the intended audience of Hair for Mama is 3-8 years old as the eye-catching illustrations and relatively simple wording of the text attempt to cater to. The illustration on page 6 was drawn in such a way as to paint the beautiful trees described in the text with vibrant colors to engage the intended audience. Marcus can be seen admiring the beautiful leaves with a genuine smile spread across his face, but Mama’s attention is turned down towards Marcus, frowning. Her appearance of defeat expressed the struggles she faced after having lost her treasured hair. She could no longer enjoy the “fire-red maples, blaze-orange sassafras, and golden-yellow beech” the same way she used to (Tinkham 5). The color imagery assists young readers in understanding the lively colors of the leaves and how Mama was so preoccupied with her illness that she could not focus even on colors this

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