Evita Girón, freelance writer, blog and author of the best-selling children’s book The Girl with the Magical Curls announces the launch of yet another exciting and inspiring children’s book titled, ’30 Short Affirmations for Curly-Haired Kids’ (out July 28, 2022). Evita is also the founder of the brand, Curlyvita: Crowns Come in All Colors.
Her new empowering book contains 30 powerful positive statements of declaration to help raise and build up the self-esteem of kids with curly hair, and fits right in line with Evita’s overall literary theme of wanting to encourage body positivity and self-love.
If you have been following the movement happening around The Crown Act, we are seeing a number of US states and territories enacting this into law to stop the onslaught of discriminatory incidents around hair, especially among Black youth in schools. While legislation to stop and prevent discrimination is important, what Evita is doing is creating a powerful resource to instill confidence in the lives of young kids who may come across cultural negativity about their hair, or the way they look.
Additionally, this book is a great resource and a must have for every parent who would love to see their curly-haired kids rock their beautiful hair with no sense of inferiority complex or shame.
If you are looking for a great gift idea for the parent of a young child with curly hair about to start a new school in the Fall, or simply want to find a book filled with positive affirmations you can instill into your child at any moment, this is the book for you.
We spoke with Evita to learn more about her mission behind ’30 Short Affirmations for Curly-Haired Kids’ and which affirmations personally spoke to her as a woman of color with curly hair herself!
How did the idea for ‘30 Short Affirmations for Curly-Haired Kids’ initially come about?
I’ve been practicing affirmations for more than 10 years now and I’ve always wanted to publish an affirmation book. I thought it would be a good idea to start with an affirmation book for kids, that could go along with the theme of my first book, “teaching children to love their curls.”
How did you put together the list of affirmations? Were they crowd-sourced or had you been collecting these yourself over the years?
I put together the list of affirmations by just thinking about affirmation wording and styles that I had used over the years. This was my first time using them in connection with hair. Usually, I use affirmations that help me achieve certain goals or for overall health, etc. I thought it would be a cool addition and different.
Why is it important for parents to have books like this where they can teach positivity to children about their body image and appearance?
It’s so important for parents to have books like this because, unfortunately we still live in a society that teaches us that something is wrong with us and if it pertains to something on our body, we need to change it.
How can illustrated children’s books be a source of inspiration and create representation for especially children of color or minorities?
I think kids from various ethnic groups that see themselves in children’s books, feel like their voices and experiences matter. I’m glad to see so many cultures, even mixtures of a variety of cultures and ethnic groups celebrated from specific publishing companies like Lee & Low as well as others. There’s much more representation than there is today. Plus, there are many more self-published authors today than decades in the past. People are not waiting to tell their stories, they are telling them unapologetically.
Can you share any personal stories or anecdotes about why this book is personal to you?
When I was coming up with the affirmations for this book, I thought about what things I would tell myself when I started my natural curly hair journey. I’ve been on this journey since 2011 and was drawn to that community because I wanted my hair to be healthy. It had gone through some breakage from continuous use of the flat iron. My hair needed a break and my natural curls needed to feel loved.
Your books have a common theme of self-love and body positivity. Why do you think it is never too early to instill these traits in young children, and especially girls?
When I created my first book I thought, “wow, I wish I had a book like this when I was little.” Sometimes there’s those moments where you wish you knew what you know now. However, I’m grateful for these books and their empowering messages because I’m teaching my daughter and other children the power of loving yourself and knowing that you are special and beautiful just the way you are. They can carry these principles into adulthood and start early knowing that affirmations are their armor against negative talk, whether from themselves or someone else.
Can you share any of your favorite affirmations from the book?
Some of my favorite affirmations from the book are:
“Detangling my curls are easy”
“I can never have a bad hair day if I sleep with my bonnet on”
“My curls give me confidence to do anything that I put my mind to”
You can purchase a copy of ’30 Short Affirmations for Curly-Haired Kids’, available in paperback and e-book versions, by clicking HERE, and get familiar with more of Evita Girón’s work via her online platform Curlyvita: Crowns Come in All Colors.
