KIRKUS REVIEW
In this debut rhyming picture book, Sabrina has masses of wild, curly blond hair and worries that there may be animals—like dinosaurs—living in there.
Five-year-old Sabrina faces a tough challenge: her crazy curls are difficult to comb and manage. When her mother tells her that “Creatures could hide out there,” Sabrina starts to worry she could be right: “Underneath all this mess, / Tangled up in my hair, / What if there are dinosaurs / Living in there?” Jealous that her short-haired brother can get ready quickly, Sabrina wishes her mother were the one with the problem; still, Sabrina tries to remain calm and not worry. When the clock strikes 8:30 and it’s time to get ready for school, Sabrina goes through her daily routine: getting dressed, grabbing her pink bow, and heading to the mirror with her blue comb to try and tame her curls. “The combing and brushing / Does little to help, / Still plenty of places / To hide at my scalp. / I think I see movement / Is Mom really right? / Do dinosaurs live / In my hair out of sight?” After spotting some T. rexes, raptors, and bats living in her hair, Sabrina’s mother brushes them all out, and Sabrina and her brothers are safe to go to school. Sabrina is a funny, sweet narrator who encounters a problem many kids may have—letting their imaginations run rampant. Told in rhyme, each page of verse contains four lines that give the story a singsong quality, while Matsick’s big, colorful illustrations help kids see Sabrina’s entanglements. The authors are at work on subsequent volumes in the series, and given the warm tone of the story and its relatable main character, there’s certainly potential for more.
This charming, engaging story offers a funny look at what happens when a child’s imagination unfurls.
