Review by New York Times Review
For a child who worries, the prospect of starting school can cause a lot of hair twirling and nail biting. So it goes with Noni. In Côté's charmingly loose crayon-and-watercolor illustrations, Noni's anxiety shows in her pink-cheeked face as she thinks about everything that could go wrong. But by the end of the second day, the troubles she anticipated haven't occurred, and she teases her parents: "Sheesh! I really don't know what you are all so nervous about!" THE GIRL WHO WOULDN'T BRUSH HER HAIR By Kate Bernheimer; illustrated by Jake Parker 40 pp. Schwartz & Wade Books. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Trouble with tresses? In Bernheimer's mellow fable about a hot topic, there was once a child - known only as the girl who wouldn't brush her hair - who let things come to such a pretty pass that dozens of mice built a nest in her locks. With an admirable absence of squealing, jumping on chairs or parental ultimatums, the girl decides enough is enough, and the mice march away, singing a song about their work being done. Well done! BUGS IN MY HAIR! Written and illustrated by David Shannon 32 pp. The Blue Sky Press/Scholastic. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) The title page of this comical, reassuring and instructive book by the lauded author and illustrator David Shannon shows a goofy-looking louse with suitcases in his pincers, like an unexpected guest waiting to be let in. He and his lousy friends climb around on their young host's hair as if it were a jungle gym, and before long they're monopolizing the family sofa. The fun comes to an end when Mom brings out her "battle-tested anti-lice weapons." BEATRICE SPELLS SOME LULUS AND LEARNS TO WRITE A LETTER By Cari Best; illustrated by Giselle Potter 40 pp. Margaret Ferguson Books/Farrar, Straus & Giroux. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 5 to 8) For every child who dislikes spelling, there's another who loves it. Beatrice, who struggles to spell her own name (one of a string of "lulus" she masters over the course of this clever and encouraging book), comes to love words. Her like-minded grandmother introduces her to the dictionary, Thomas Jefferson ("a crackerjack speller") and Scrabble. But her classmates don't see the point until Beatrice finds a way to bring spelling to show and tell. THE VERY INAPPROPRIATE WORD By Jim Tobin; illustrated by Dave Coverly 40 pp. Christy Ottaviano Books/ Henry Holt & Company. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 5 to 9) Michael, who collects words like "vast" and "smithereens" in a box under his bed (Coverly gives each one a physical identity that in some way reflects its meaning), hears a very inappropriate word on the school bus. "Michael could see there was something kind of bad about it. But there was also something about it that he kind of liked." He spreads it around like chickenpox until a teacher sends him offto the library to improve his vocabulary. Tobin's story celebrates language, whether the words are good, bad or just plain fun. SARAH HARRISON SMITH ONLINE A slide show of this week's illustrated books at nytimes.com/books.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [August 25, 2013]
Review by Booklist Review
Lice! Lice! Aaaaargh! Every kid's confused terror at being diagnosed with the itchy little buggers is mirrored here in Shannon's chortling, over-the-top, but ultimately comforting ode to eradicating the problem. There were BUGS! an unnamed red-haired boy reports. In my HAIR!! And they were laying EGGS!!! As the boy scratches, Shannon zooms in for one of many extreme extreme close-ups of the beasties holding a Lice-a-Palooza in his hair. Oh, the SHAME! The humiliation! cries the boy as he endures school, wondering not only if everyone knows but also how the heck he caught the plague from a hug? a hat? his dog? (Facts marked with asterisks deliver a bit of additional info: Relax. Dogs don't get head lice.) The whole grueling removal procedure, from zero-tolerance laundry to medicated oil to a nit comb is depicted, with the combing apocalypse of lice being the most humorous. Obviously this is a blaring, shouty affair, but tons of fun, and isn't fun what sufferers of head lice need the most? (Aside from a shaved head.)--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Shannon offers young head lice victims and the grownups who love them a much-needed source of levity and empathy. His itchy redheaded hero can't help imagining the worst-which is right up Shannon's alley (his always expressive hand-lettering is deployed to especially good effect). What if the boy becomes a social pariah? What if his condition requires a scorched scalp policy? What if the "lice-a-palooza" in his hair (which looks more like a hootenanny than a rock festival) takes over the entire house? Shannon wisely allows these anxieties to vent, then calmly defuses them with epiphanies ("I found out a bunch of kids had them!") and informative asides ("Relax. Dogs don't get head lice"). He also underscores the idea that every lice-ridden kid has a secret weapon: mom (the book is dedicated to "moms everywhere and their battled-tested anti-lice weapons"). By book's end, the lice have been whittled down from satanic scourge to manageable pain, and readers will come away reassured that it will take a lot more than a bunch of bug-eyed, multilegged "Little Nasties" to sink their families. Ages 4-8. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-In this hilarious and all-too-true production, a boy discovers his head is occupied by head lice. This means WAR! Mom is armed with the nit comb. Professionals get involved. The boy's imagination runs wild as his life seems to circle around lice. They become ubiquitous and enormous in both his imagination and in the illustrations. This overblown, silly, and spot-on book (Blue Sky Pr., 2013) is performed by Jesse Bernstein. His expressive voice aptly captures the spirit of the subject, and the background music changes to match the story's moods. The text is very much linked to the illustrations, so the CD will be enjoyed most when accompanied by the print book. VERDICT Listeners will delight in the enthusiastic narration and amusing illustrations that combine, somehow, to be ultimately reassuring.--Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary, Federal Way, WA © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A boy describes the mayhem that ensues when he catches lice. Shannon's informative and amusing text lets readers know that everyone feels embarrassed and grossed out by lice, and his gigantic, googly-eyed bugs add to both the humor and the yuck factor. This book should prove helpful for both kids and adults, but, like the back jacket warns, it will definitely "make you ITCHY!" (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Head lice morph into friendly fellows in this comical and necessary title. When the intrepid narrator's mother discovers his infestation, she immediately jumps into action. Factoids about lice and their transmittal and treatment follow quickly. The youngster suffers from a large dose of shame as he wonders how they found him. He willingly cooperates with his ever-vigilant mother as she marches boldly into the fray, which climaxes with a visit to "a professional lice treatment place." Alas, the lice return, and the treatment must be repeated. Never fear, the boy knows his medieval history and readies for the next joust with suitable head armor. Shannon's trademark color palette of yellows and oranges, so wonderful in his David books, fills the spreads with explosive energy as his magnificently magnified lice leap off the pages with endearingly expressive faces, personalities and costumes. Playful lettering becomes part of the page design and demands a most expressive reading voice. Few books for young readers come with a warning. Heed the one boldly penned on the back cover: "This book will make you ITCHY!" Don't scratch your head over this purchase: Entertainment and information are all wrapped up in one funny and disinfected package. (Picture book. 4-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
