Hair-Pocalypse, a simple tale that grows on you

Patience and independence. We tell our 7 year old multiple times a day that he needs to be more patient. Sometimes on his math quizzes at school he’ll simply not do problems that I know he can do. It’s because he’s in too big of a hurry. Patience, everything requires practice and some things require more practice, all the while allowing for individuality. Hair-Pocalypse is a pre-K through early elementary school book that’s about a grubby young boy whose hair has a life of its own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Literally, his hair is weaving and moving all over his head, picking up objects and worse. Just as the school bus arrives his hair grabs the spoon that Aidan Allen was using for his cereal and proceeds to make a mess. When he gets on the bus his hair wraps itself into a series of bows. As he’s walking past the other students on the bus they’re all pointing to him and laughing.

At school it only gets worse.  It forms into a raptor, drags his friends into the mud, goes curly, turns into a mullet and more until Aiden has a meeting with his hair in the bathroom. He knows that his hair is angry and Aiden simply asks what’s going on and what he can do to help. Thankfully, his hair spells out what he can do to end these follicle foibles.

The message isn’t exactly what Aiden wants to do, because he’s got his own style. However, that night he does what his hair suggested in order to make things right. The next morning his dad compliments his hair, but says that his clothing is still a little grubby. As Aiden goes to the bus stop another clothing item tries to spell out a hint that will help him continue his path forward.

I firmly believe that at some level kids know what’s best for them. They just want to discover the answer for themselves.  Hair-Pocalypse is a children’s book that will teach them that being dirty doesn’t make you a special individual. It just makes you look dirty-and stand out in the crowd because you’re filthy isn’t really something to celebrate, is it?

Kids will laugh at the art as the hair goes about acting out and doing things that Aiden doesn’t want. Much the way the Aiden’s father doesn’t want him to be a grubby kid, but can’t hammer the message down too much or it’ll push Aiden; and his hair further down the filthy path. See what the book does? It’s a soft education way for kids to realize their issues before they have a trail of dust following them a la Pigpin.