Maddy's Mad Hair Day

PreS-Gr 1—Mad Hair Day consists of seven short sentences and six illustrations. One day, Maddy's long curly hair goes wild, and she hates it. She puts on a headband. She puts ribbons in her hair. She wears it wild. Maddy likes it. That's the sum total of what passes for a story. There is no explanation for why Maddy goes from hating her wild hair to suddenly liking it, no substance to capture the attention of even the youngest child. Edward is equally lackluster. The child explores something different on each weekday. His adventures rate all of 10 short sentences. Bee is designed as a photo album, taking the bee from babyhood through flying lessons. He crashes twice when Dad is instructing him, but is successful when Grandpa takes over. All three books are illustrated with garishly colored cartoons. Edward and Bee at least have a few more details for children to examine. If there is a need for books on a very low reading level that have format and content that will appeal to the youngest readers, suggest Alyssa Satin Capucilli's "Biscuit" books or Judyann Ackerman Grant's Chicken Said, "Cluck!" both part of the "My First I Can Read" series (HarperCollins).—Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ