Profoundly inspiring, My Hair Can is a picture book full of wit and charm. Each page is vibrant and affirms joy and positivity for little Black boys and girls as they grow through life and all its changes, especially when it comes to their hair. Readers will see themselves in many instances, particularly on the pages where roots, ancestry, and genealogy are introduced. From braids to fades, young boys and girls can equally share in the joy of versatility. The book displays Afros, cornrows, two-strand twists and twist-outs, as well as dreadlocks, Bantu knots, and everything in between—both straight and curly, short and long. When representation matters, Forté and Green represented them well. Numerous hairstyles are depicted, and the sentences that describe them are lyrically penned. With an ode to poetry, the rhymes and the illustrations come alive. The chosen images are beautiful, and each character seems recognizable. Even cancer is mentioned (without the weight of being mentioned by name) when one child shaves his head to support his “friend’s battle.”

Although seemingly written for children with curly and kinky hair types, My Hair Can includes illustrations of children with other hair types on its final pages as self-love and self-expression are encouraged and recognized. Accepting that “all hair is different,” Matt Forté acknowledges that “we’re all equally made” and sprinkles faith throughout the pages. To his credit, Psalm 139:16: “Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began,” is the foundation on which his dedication to his children is made. His words remind us that we are made in the image of God, and our beauty is ours alone to be shared with the world. As Scripture tells us that even “the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Luke 12:7), we are encouraged to not be afraid, for our worth is great. Therefore, I am pleased to see Forté’s creativity and more excited to read his words of confirmation on the ending pages: “Don’t be ashamed of your hair… wear it for all to see.”

Matt Forté is a retired veteran NFL running back who played for more than a decade with the Chicago Bears and now serves in a leadership role in a ministry for professional athletes. He is also the proud father of four children and uses his current platform to spread a message of self-love and self-acceptance, as our “worth is not determined by other people’s opinions but by God himself.” Sophia Green, who works in illustration and animation, captures the excitement and pleasure of the book’s theme. And let’s face it, hair is a large part of who we are. But Forté reminds us that even if we don’t have any, we are who we are. After all, it’s just hair. And we’re all part of a bigger picture—one that doesn’t define us by limitations or lack.

I enjoyed reading My Hair Can because it is a reminder that we can be comfortable being exactly who God intended for us to be—good or bad hair, little or no hair.