The Boy with Flowers in His Hair

March 15, 2022
A hurting child regains his joy with the help of compassionate friends. The story is told from the perspective of a dark-haired, tan-skinned boy who is the best friend of David, the titular pale-skinned boy with a mass of colorful blooms decorating his hair. Both David and his unnamed companion are part of a happy, bustling classroom that includes children with various hair textures and skin tones. No one bats an eye at David's unusual coif, not even when it attracts bees or is hilariously inhabited by a family of birds. "But one day, something happened," an allusion to an unspecified trauma. Once upbeat and talkative, David grows quiet, uninterested in play, and the flowers fall out of his hair. He starts wearing a hat to cover his "twiggy, spiky, and brittle" head. At first, David's classmates are unnerved by the change and avoid him. But when his best buddy stays by his side and begins crafting painted paper flowers for David's hair, the other children quickly join in. Slowly, David's spark returns, and eventually his original blossoms do, too. His best friend keeps a box of the paper flowers "in case he ever needs them, because he's my best friend, and I am his." 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. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A sweet example of how to be a kind and supportive presence in the life of a struggling friend. (Picture book. 4-7)

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 1, 2022
Preschool-Grade 2 A young narrator introduces his best friend, David, "the boy with flowers in his hair," as illustrations depict David in a classroom setting with flowers sprouting all over his head, colorful, bright, and full of life. The narrator describes how they play and sing together, adding that everyone likes David because he is gentle and sweet. One day, however, something changes, and David becomes withdrawn. His petals fall off and are replaced by brittle, spiky twigs. The children stay away, because David might scratch them, even if he doesn't mean to hurt them. The narrator finds a way to reconnect by creating paper flowers for David, and the other children join in. As they reach out to help, David returns to normal---almost. Eventually, through patience and continued love, David's flowers start to grow again. His friend holds on to the paper ones, though, in case he needs them again. This tender story about emotions made manifest could help children talk about trauma and recognize its effects on themselves and others.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 1, 2022

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.

April 11, 2022
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.