Tuesday, September 19, 2023

When Dad's Hair took off by Jörg Mühle translated by Melody Shaw



Blurb: One day, Dad’s hair decided it was tired of being brushed and combed. It wanted a life of its own, to see the world. It took off. Out of the bathroom, into the kitchen, and before you could say, “Hairsta la vista, baby!” it was gone. Dad gave chase around the town. He spots his hair hiding in the lawn, on the road, at the zoo —it’s amazing how many things look like hair. He gives up. Dad tries to accept life without hair. Then the postcards arrive. The hair is on a round-the-world trip and Dad is still bald. Until one day the unbelievable happens and the hair comes back.



This book is a quick one to read - it will be enjoyed by young readers aged 7+ but also by parents especially dads. It has 63 pages, some with just one line of text, and full colour zany illustrations.

When you share this book with a younger child they will be exposed to some terrific vocabulary: flailed, scolded, threatened, fluttered, whumped, hullabaloo, stalking, stomped, wits' end, apparently, shimmied, crypt, launderette, hightailed, and zilch.

I also love the sense that this is a story that has been told over and over again in this family - rather like a tall tale. 

Younger listeners will enjoy the silly, complicated chase scenes, while slightly older kids and even adults will also appreciate the plentiful puns and amusing alliteration.  Kirkus

When Dad's Hair Took Off is a great example of words and pictures telling the story, and it's all encapsulated in a short novel that will get young readers laughing. Kids' Book Review

Early readers are sure to love the madcap nature of this story. Reading Time

Here is the German cover:

We are lucky to have books by Jörg Mühle here in Australia and now thanks to Gecko Press we can.







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