What If You Had Animal Hair?

Sandra Markle

Jan 2014 · Sold by Scholastic Inc.

About this ebook

If you could have any animal's hair, whose would you choose?

If you had a polar bear's double coat, you would never have to wear a hat when playing in the snow. If you had reindeer hair, it could help you stay afloat in water. And if you had a porcupine's hair, no bully would ever bother you again! WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL HAIR? is a follow-up to the adorable WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL TEETH? Each spread will feature a photographic image of the animal and its hair on the left and an illustration of a child with that animal's hair on the right. As in ANIMAL TEETH, the illustrations will be humorous and will accompany informative text.

Ratings and reviews

As a mother of a black child, I am offended by this book's cover. My child's hair naturally grows straight up and out. Non black kids in her class already wonder why her hair is so different from theirs. And she often feels out of place because of how her hair grows naturally. I am completely disgusted that Scholastic would endorse a book like this that perpetuates racial stereotypes. This book essentially likens my child's hair to the quills of an animal. How insulting!!!! And to those non black parents reading this thinking "why are they so sensitive about everything"...you have not had to endure the same type of overt and subliminal shaming that black people in general have to endure on a daily basis...especially about our appearance...from our beautiful broad noses, to our multi-hued skin, and eespecially our hair. No thank you Scholastic. This selection was made in poor taste.

About the author

Sandra Markle is the author of more than 200 children's books, which have won numerous awards, including Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book, IRA/CBC Children's Choice, NSTA/CBC Outstanding Trade Books for Children, NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended, and ALA Notable Books for Children. She lives in Florida.
Howard McWilliam is the illustrator of Dinosaur Christmas by Jerry Pallotta,I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll, When a Dragon Moves In by Jodi Moore, and the What If You Had...? series by Sandra Markle. He lives in Kingston Upon Thames, England, with his wife, Rebecca. For more information, go to howardmcwilliam.com.