Fun if didactic.
A messy boy comes to a compromise after a school day spent trying to tame his unruly head of hair.
Aidan’s brown hair is wild and unkempt; the greasy mop has a mind of its own. At school, Aidan’s hair takes over by tying itself into bows, then reaching out to grab paintbrushes and splatter paint everywhere. At recess it creates havoc by grabbing other students with its octopuslike tentacles and yanking them into a mud puddle. Via the bathroom mirror, the exasperated and exhausted Aidan has a tête-à-tête with his hair. In response to his frustrated pleas, it offers a selection of possible styles. Most importantly, it wants hygiene, a few tendrils twining themselves into a cursive “WASH ME.” Aidan agrees to wash his hair on weeknights but will revert to his happy, grubby self on weekends. Bright illustrations depict humorous, fantastically disruptive school scenes centered on the gap-toothed and mostly good-natured white boy’s sloppy appearance and his out-of-control mane. Aidan’s ultimate understanding of simple personal hygiene allows for a plausible solution to make his school day go smoothly. As with many lesson books, it seems to have so much fun with its out-of-control premise that the relatively tidy Aidan standing at the bus stop the next morning feels like a letdown. Readers who notice his untied shoelaces will see that yet more taming is in the offing.
Fun if didactic. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-62370-884-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
Review Posted Online: April 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2017
A laugh-out-loud, dino-themed farce.
Ever wonder why there are no dinosaurs?
Marvin and Vamos offer a possible answer with a humorous twist: Dinosaurs had hair. Imagine! If dinosaurs had hair, they must have had hair problems, too, like “parents who brushed it too hard,” “siblings who pulled it,” and “snarls. SO. MANY // SNARLS.” And if dinosaurs had hair, they probably flaunted their impressive styles by “flying with flair,” “galloping with gusto,” and “swimming with sass,” all of which led to gossip, jealousy, and hair drama like the “HAIR // WARFARE!” between Team Hair-o-dactyl and Team Pompadour-o-saurus, complete with Jurassic jeers and computer game–esque illustrations. Readers see a battle of hairstyles, “from pigtails to pixie cuts…// from pageboys to perms.” The winning style? “BIG BANGS!” As a T. rex shows off their hairdo, illustrations show asteroids raining down in the background; the final page shows a lone, feathered dino who has survived—consistent with the theory that dinosaurs evolved into birds. The book’s climax may also provide a teachable moment to distinguish the concept of the Big Bang from theories of extinction. The primary text moves the story forward briskly, but a second layer of sassy and punny speech bubbles also add humor for older readers and adults. Detailed, digitally created illustrations feature vibrant colors, hilarious hairstyles, and dinosaur facial features with lots of attitude and emotions, making this a book that will be read and reread often. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A laugh-out-loud, dino-themed farce. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-79256-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
A full-hearted valentine.
A soaring panegyric to elementary school as a communal place to learn and grow.
“This is a kid,” Schu begins. “This is a kid in a class. This is a class in a hall….” If that class—possibly second graders, though they could be a year to either side of that—numbers only about a dozen in Jamison’s bright paintings, it makes up for that in diversity, with shiny faces of variously brown or olive complexion well outnumbering paler ones; one child using a wheelchair; and at least two who appear to be Asian. (The adult staff is likewise racially diverse.) The children are individualized in the art, but the author’s narrative is addressed more to an older set of readers as it runs almost entirely to collective nouns and abstract concepts: “We share. We help. / This is a community, growing.” Younger audiences will zero in on the pictures, which depict easily recognizable scenes of both individual and collective learning and play, with adults and classmates always on hand to help out or join in. Signs of conflict are unrealistically absent, but an occasional downcast look does add a bit of nuance to the general air of eager positivity on display. A sad face at an apartment window with a comment that “[s]ometimes something happens, and we can’t all be together” can be interpreted as an oblique reference to pandemic closings, but the central message here is that school is a physical space, not a virtual one, where learning and community happen. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A full-hearted valentine. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0458-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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