PreS-Gr 2 Books with very limited and inconsequential subjectssuch as hair carerun the risk of irrelevance. But this one dances around that particular trap with a bouncy, rhymed text and a plot that, while thin, is entertaining, especially when paired with Plecas's cheery, silly illustrations. Ella Kazoo is first pictured as a stubborn moppet with a white poodle pal and shoulder-length curls. "She hides in the cupboard and under the stair. She roars at her mom like a big growly bear. She whines and she moans and she howls in despair, but Ella Kazoo will not brush her hair." Plecas makes great use of the space on each page to highlight the child's mood, shadowing her in menacing purple when she's roaring, engulfing her in a mustard-yellow cloud during a tantrum, and surrounding her with cheerful pastel settings when she's doing whatever it is she'd rather do than brush her hair. Readers will notice that on every page her hair is longer, more tangled, and more inhabited by sticky things. Ella looks happy enough floating in the bathtub with hair down to her feet, but on the following page, her friends grimace in disgust. It's great fun to see what has to happen before Ella Kazoo decides that something must be done about her unruly mane. Young readers just might get the message that holding their ground in a battle with mom may not always be in their own best interest."Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY" Copyright 2010 Media Source Inc.
"Ella Kazoo will not brush her frizz. / She cares not a bit how upset her mom is." Ella finally changes her tune the morning she wakes to find her hair creeping like kudzu around her bedroom. The premise may be fantastical, but readers--young and old--will recognize and relate to the parent/child power struggle. The gleeful illustrations star a confident, wild-maned spitfire.
Be the first reader to comment.
Comment Policy:
Comment should not be empty !!!