Kids' book: Sophie's Long Locks.... Grrrrrrrrrr!

[Wildcat Diva]

So, I'm minding my own business, in the public library. I work with children, in the mental health field, and I'm there with a kid (eight year old little girl). Said little girl brings me this book and dumps it in my lap. "Sophie's Long Locks", with a cute little long haired girl on the cover. "It's a princessey book, let's read this," little girl says to me.

I think "Awwwwww.... How cool!"

So we read it together.

First few pages are wonderful. Lively pictures of "curly, curly, fancy, twirly" "Long hair is the best!" I love how it flies free, and swirls when I dance and all that...

Then...

wait for it...

It goes downhill from there
"I don't love a snarly, tangly mess." Picture complete with a bird nesting in the little girl's hair. Trying to rake a comb through her curls. Then she tried to keep her hair out of the way but used "sticky tape and goopy glue" to keep her hair up (REALLY!?!). Then Sophie Mc Phee tries to blow a bubble with her gum and it gets all in her hair. She decides "Having long locks is too much work for me!"

By this time, I'm really annoyed. But it gets better.

She goes to the salon, gets a chop and then it's like a commercial to donate her hair to "a girl who who needs a wig." Sophie then loves her new look, "Bouncy, bouncy, cute and flippy. Flippy, flippy, short, and pretty!"
Complete with addresses to three organizations for hair donation on the last page.


The kid who needs a wig part doesn't bother me so much. I was really annoyed to be let down when I thought I had found a book that would be an esteem boosting book for girls about long hair. The author made it look like long hair is a terrible pain in the butt not worth messing with.


To get her point across, the author had to make long hair look impossible to take care of, and promoted such ridiculous things as the girl using tape and glue to "keep her hair out of the way." before she just gives up and whacks it off. Then hair donation seems to be the next logical step, and win-win for everyone.

My thought is "let's brainwash them young."

Take a look, click "look inside" and you can see the lovely first few pictures before it all goes to hell in a handbasket.
http://www.amazon.com/Sophies-Lovely-Locks-Pelton-Villnave/dp/0761458204/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378486391&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=sophie%27s+long+locks

[Lady Mary]

Wow, how deceptive... Just another "you're selfish for having long hair" things. Got to start shaming them young I guess. :rolleyes:

[Wildcat Diva]

I thought also, deceptive, and brainwashy, in a way. Instead of shaming, it was more like, it's such a pain to take care of, there's no way to keep it out of the way before you ruin it, so it's fine to just chop it. Besides, someone else needs it, so it's all good.

I was screaming inside when I got to the part of the book about using glue and tape to keep her hair back (even though I knew it's a kid's book and supposed to be a bit silly).
"It's called an UPDO, you big dummy!!! Where is your mother!?!" Of course screaming is prohibited in the public library so I had to keep quiet.

I did check the book out for giggles, so I have it with me now. No little girls at my house that I'm going to read it to, though.

I messaged my DH about it (he's out of town) with some screen shot pix paired with my sarcastic comments. He messaged me back, "Screw Locks of Love!" Ah, I've trained him well.

[woolyleprechaun]

Ack. That's very disappointing. My older daughter (who's four, BTW) watches long hair care tutorials on YouTube...She'd be quite offended by that book, in a little-kiddie way. I'm a bit depressed now... :(

[massivecnqstdr]

I obviously have not read the book, but if I had to guess, it's probably meant to teach kids about getting a hair cut in general. Maybe if you gave the child reasons why the long hair is difficult and how the hair after the cut is fun and bouncy, they will behave at the salon? Idk. I know some people here will be like "don't cut your child's hair!!!111" but I think there are practically reasons for doing so. I was a kid who loved to play and get dirty, and I'm glad I had a bob for most of those years.

[Wildcat Diva]

Wooly, don't be depressed. Sorry to be a bummer, just let it serve as a warning if you see that book at the library, don't get it for her.

Because I was reading it out loud to that little girl I was working with before I realized what it was all about!

[chen bao jun]

give it bad reviews on amazon. all kinds of sites copy the amazon reviews

[Wildcat Diva]

I obviously have not read the book, but if I had to guess, it's probably meant to teach kids about getting a hair cut in general. Maybe if you gave the child reasons why the long hair is difficult and how the hair after the cut is fun and bouncy, they will behave at the salon? Idk. I know some people here will be like "don't cut your child's hair!!!111" but I think there are practically reasons for doing so. I was a kid who loved to play and get dirty, and I'm glad I had a bob for most of those years.

Nope, I didn't get that at all about it being about how to behave at the salon (the hair chop was only a one page thing), the donation message was very strong after the chop with three or four pages dedicated to that.

[woolyleprechaun]

Well, don't be depressed. Sorry to be a bummer, just let it serve as a warning if you see that book at the library, don't get it for her.

Because I was reading it out loud to that little girl I was working with before I realized what it was all about!
I'm not that depressed really, just narked. It seems a bit too much like brain wash to me. I was a little concerned that a child who reads this book may come to see all long hair as messy, dirty, ill kempt etc, not just their own. Whatever happened to little girls striving for princess hair?! Grrr.

[Wildcat Diva]

The little girl who brought it to me did say "It's a princess hair book!" when she handed it to me.

It reminded me of those "as seen on TV commercials" where you can't just use a regular garden hose or screwdriver or whatever, it's just too dang hard.

Long hair is too hard! It's pretty and flowing and princessy and all that, but it's too dang hard. The pictures of the girl trying to rip a comb through her Disney's "Brave"-like curly hair with a frown on her face were particularly notable. So donate it, donate it, donate it.

[Hootenanny]

I'm surprised her curls weren't gone by the end, too. Because, you know, curly hair is "messy" and "unkempt."

Or were they?

[leslissocool]

Thanks for the heads up! Wow, what the heck? I'd be pissed if my daughter was being brain washed by organizations already.


My kids do social stories, teaching about hair cuts is a social story. Not a book telling you to donate your hair to charity after you are done.

[Wildcat Diva]

Well, the girl in the book only had "Brave"-like curls in the rainy weather. Before and after that it was wavy.

And I just looked, and there is a guilt type comment that I missed. The book ends ends with "two girls with short hair are better than one girl with none!"

[woolyleprechaun]

Well, the girl in the book only had "Brave"-like curls in the rainy weather. Before and after that it was wavy.

And I just looked, and there is a guilt type comment that I missed. The book ends ends with "two girls with short hair are better than one girl with none!"
I physically shuddered at that!shudder: The problem I see is that children don't have the ability to argue and reason like we can; so if a little girl was to be confronted with the ' you should donate/it's selfish not to/think of the bald children' argument that we often face, what would they say? I'm going to teach my kids to say 'Locks of love are a scam' and 'why don't you donate a kidney' :p

[HintOfMint]

Wow, how deceptive... Just another "you're selfish for having long hair" things. Got to start shaming them young I guess. :rolleyes:

This! If there was an upvote button, I'd hit it.

[patienceneeded]

Have you seen the book called "Moosestach?"

http://www.amazon.com/Moosetache-Margie-Palatini/dp/0786811706/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1378495886&sr=8-2&keywords=the+moosestache

My daughter loved this book when she was little.

[CareBear]

I think a better book would be about celebrating people in all stages of their journey through life. Like, a little girl who is fighting cancer wears her baldness like a badge, and isn't ashamed. Idk...perhaps the author needs to be schooled on the truth of L0cks of l0ve....

[Wildcat Diva]

Thanks for the suggestions! There's got to be something better out there for kids. Or maybe one of us could write a pro-long hair book.

[PrincessIdril]

For me alarm bells would have started to ring upon reading this on the copyright page: "The author will donate a portion of the proceeds from sales of the book to a hair donation program that benefits kids. For a list of places you can donate your hair, please visit ...."

But I am a nerd who always reads the copyright page...
In other news that is awful I can't believe someone actually decided to publish it!

[TiaKitty]

Now I wonder if this book is in my school's library!

My girls, age 9 and 7, are really into their long hair. I don't believe that they've heard the locks of love crap yet, but I'm sure they'll get it soon. Both are TBL, though one is curly and shrinks up to BSL, so it is bound to happen at some point. This is a good reminder that I should talk to them about it before it happens...

[goldenlady]

I think I'm more concerned with what a rubbish story that sounds rather than the brainwashing involved.. Children are never going to gain a love of reading from boring/ ridiculous stories...

It sounds like the author's purpose is to advertise hair-donation companies... They should use proper advertisement methods than hiding behind a story-book!

[lapushka]

It might be a good book for those girls who don't take care of their hair and who give their mom a hell of a job trying to maintain it for them. Might be good to read it to those kids to promote a nice short cut, but what bothers me about this is the "lets give a sick kid a wig" part. The hair is not so wonderful and full of icky gum and stickiness at one point, then at the next it is wonderful enough to give away - how does that compute.

No way. The donation part. Too far over the top!

[jacqueline101]

Oh for god sakes when will targeting people quit.

[Quixii]

How sad. :( As a little girl, I'm sure I would have loved to find a book with long hair on the cover, and then I would have been so disappointed when she cut it off.


But instead, people told me at around that age about some book, in which the girl had a ponytail and she wore it any which way. She wore it on the back of her head, and everyone started copying that. So she wore it on the side of her head, and everyone started copying that. So she wore it on the top of her head, and everyone started copying that. So she wore it in the front of her head, and everyone started copying that! Finally, she spread the rumour that she was going to shave her head bald. The next day she came in with a regular ponytail, and everyone else was bald. :laugh:
I liked that one pretty well, because it rang more true to me - be yourself, you don't have to be one of the crowd.

[puddums]

I like that one too Quixii! It's Stephanie's Ponytail by Robert Munsch, if anyone wanted to know :)

[ravenheather]

I like that one too Quixii! It's Stephanie's Ponytail by Robert Munsch, if anyone wanted to know :)

Sounds like a much better choice.

[chen bao jun]

even if you just go on the amazon site and give it one star, that will help.
You don't have to have bought the book from amazon.

[Quixii]

I like that one too Quixii! It's Stephanie's Ponytail by Robert Munsch, if anyone wanted to know :)
Oh, thanks! I never remember what it's called. I just remember multiple people telling me about it, because I used to wear a ponytail in the front of my head, and apparently I reminded them of the book. :)

[Wildcat Diva]

I'll write up a review and enter it on Amazon.

Stephanie's ponytail sounds much better!

[rosey4exclaim]

Yeah, there are probably better ways to teach kids about donating their hair. You do it because you want to help someone out, not because having long hair is a pain. :P

[Aemelia]

In the author photo, she has long-ish hair. I wonder if she's ever donated her own hair?

[woolyleprechaun]

In the author photo, she has long-ish hair. I wonder if she's ever donated her own hair?
That's a very valid point. My guess is no :P In my personal experience, those who pressurise people to donate rarely have done so themselves (often with the excuse that they 'can't grow long enough hair' themselves etc). Ironic, no?

[spidermom]

I don't see a problem. Every book ever written has some underlying message that you will or will not agree with, and a lot of them are more disagreeable than this. I hope you took the opportunity to talk about, for example, how one might put hair up without glue and tape.