Claire's Hair: A Tale of Hair, Heart, and Humor

Claire's hair is red, long, and fantastically hilarious. Her best friend Albert thinks so too. They use it to jump rope; they swing through the jungle on it; they even use it to tie up the neighborhood "robbers"--and you can bet there are a lot of those! The result is fun, frolicking laughter for the two BFFs. But Claire's hair is also wild, tangled, dirty (she hasn't washed it since June!), and just plain crazy. Mothers don't care for that and Claire's is no exception. When Albert gets sick and goes to the hospital, Claire misses him and the laughter. Once he comes home, he looks sad. Claire performs "hair tricks" to cheer him but nothing works. When she discovers he lost his hair from medicine he had to take, Claire gets a BIG hairy idea. She knows about donating hair for those who need it and heads to the salon to have hers cut. She donates half of it and brings the other half to Albert, who uses it in ways that make him laugh again. So it's true. Laughter is the best medicine!

Mary Bleckwehl has always had big crazy hair with a mind of its own, so Claire's Hair may be a bit of a reflection of her own dilemma. But she also has family members who have lost hair due to necessary chemo treatments, and wanted to show how friendship and laughter can help heal--especially when delivered by a child. Bleckwehl strives to show readers how they can solve their own real life problems with empathy and an ounce of humor. She drew on that humor as well as her teacher and parent experience to create her first books, the award-winning Henry! You're Late AGAIN! and Henry! You're Hungry AGAIN? Bleckwehl grew up in a large family on a dairy farm in northeast Iowa. There were few books in her home but plenty in her school and public library. She now lives in Northfield, Minnesota, where a stack of good books and Sadie, her fluffy goldendoodle, keep her warm all winter. She is available for author presentations including school visits to share her books and passion for literacy.AUTHOR HOME: Northfield, Minnesota