The Boy with Flowers in His Hair

Pale-skinned David and this story’s brown-skinned narrator are primary-school classmates: David is “the boy with flowers in his hair, and he’s my best friend.” Their classroom—where kids of various abilities and skin tones interact smilingly—is a cozy place, painted by Jarvis in gentle wash and line. David’s flowers stick straight up from his head, as if growing in a small garden (“Once, he had a family of birds living in his hair for a whole month”). But when “something” happens and the blooms start to drop, David’s friend notices and acts. The child crafts petals for the “twiggy, spiky, and brittle” branches left behind until, with the passing of time, David’s flowers return. Keeping the focus on one child’s sudden change and the narrator’s willingness to help, Jarvis crafts an extended metaphor about how good friends can share the burden of bad times. Ages 3–7. (Apr.)