This Monster Needs a Haircut

May 28, 2012
Pen-and-ink drawings, black hand-
lettering, and helpful explanatory arrows give newcomer Barton’s monster tale the visual feel of a sketchbook. There’s nothing sketchy about the storyline, though—a jaunty voiceover drives it steadily forward. Stewart appears on the first page with an arrow pointing toward him. “Why, hello!” Barton starts. “This is Stewart.” Stewart has a purple body, teeth that would send an orthodontist running for cover, and a green mop of hair. Stewart believes that scary hair is essential for monsters. Readers know he’s going to get a haircut—the fun is in getting there. Moments of comedy (Stewart’s mother sprays his hair with “Super Giant Mega-Detangler”) and serious reflection (Stewart writes an earnest letter to his father: “I like myself just the way I am. Thanks, Dad. Sincerely, Stewart”) alternate as Stewart and his father come to a rapprochement—though it’s the scornful laughter of bystanders that finally pushes Stewart toward the barber. Monster-centered laughs abound, but an atmosphere of civility prevails; Stewart’s family and friends are as calm and supportive as his hair is wild. Ages 3–5. Agent: Stephen Barr, Writers House.

May 15, 2012
Visually energetic but unsophisticated, with pedestrian text, this may be selected more by parents hoping the humor will coax their kids into a haircut than by the kids themselves. "Why, hello! This is Stewart. Stewart is a monster," plods the opening. An arrow points to Stewart, whose hair is green, curly, wavy and wild. Skinny, curling tendrils of hair supplement bold black outlines; Barton's mixture of thick and thin lines is the best part of her loose, freewheeling ink illustrations. Being a monster, Stewart "loves all the things that monsters love," including spiders (for hair decoration and play) and helicopters (for eating). Stewart's ever-lengthening hair is an obstacle. It blocks classmates' view of the (tolerably funny) school blackboard: "Tonight's homework: find human homework and eat it!" Candy, crayons and keys disappear into the unruly green coiffure. Stewart's parents believe it's haircut time, but the decision is Stewart's, and he resists. Not until his prowess at frightening others becomes compromised does Stewart fold, chopping the green locks down to a popular, spiky "scare-cut." It's fitting that inability to incite fear feels intolerable to a monster, but some adults will cringe at the fact that Stewart--previously confident--changes his hairstyle specifically because other characters laugh at him. Neither terrible nor terribly interesting; Elivia Savadier's No Haircut To EWSLUGp2005 is a more distilled treatment of the same subject. (Picture book. 3-5)

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2012

PreS-Gr 1-Stewart is a grape-colored monster shaped like a humanoid robot. He needs a dentist and, yes, a haircut. His olive-green locks writhe away from his square head, and, in the course of the story, get longer, more tangly, and, finally, occupied. A spider is keeping a toothbrush, lollipop, ipod, etc., company. But does Stewart listen to his friend Feliz or to the urgings of his parents to get a haircut? He does not. (At least, not until-well, let's just say there's a fine line between scary hair and funny hair.) Barton's ink-and-Photoshop pictures are as wild and disorderly as the protagonist's locks. They're more exuberant than organized, and a little effort will be needed to follow the story. More significant is its length, which exceeds the attention span of the book's likely audience. While excellent haircut-themed books abound, such as Don Freeman's Mop Top (Viking, 1955), Elivia Savadier's No Haircut Today! (Roaring Brook, 2005), and Matthew McElligott's Even Monsters Need Haircuts (Walker, 2010), the silly illustrations might catch some young readers' attention.-Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.