Daddy Hairdo by Francis Martin & Claire Powell

Published by Simon & Schuster, 2018.

Daddy Hairdo is a brilliantly funny new picture book about a little girl, called Amy, and her dad. As Amy’s hair grows and grows, Dad’s drops out and soon he’s pretty much bald apart from the tufts above his ears. There are some great scenes as Amy and her dad consider what might have happened to Dad’s hair (a hair-raising round-the-world adventure perhaps?). Amy’s hair, by contrast, is the stuff of fairy tales. Eventually, it gets so long that she can’t stand on the floor anymore and has to be carried around.

Dad needs to come up with a solution. Fast. Amy’s hair is taking a lot of looking after and it’s ruining her games of hide and seek. After careful research and hours of pet- and topiary-based practice, Dad perfects the Daddy Hairdo. His creations are fabulously outrageous and extravagant. For example, there’s the ‘Ice Cream Cone’ (complete with sprinkles and a cherry), and the rocket-topped ‘Rings of Saturn’. Children and parents alike will delight in these eye-catching and imaginative hairstyles and may even dream up some of their own.

Amy’s dazzling new hairstyles soon become the talk of the town and she and her dad become minor celebrities. People are queuing up at Dad’s hair salon to get their own flamboyant hairstyles.

However, while Amy’s striking up-dos certainly keep her hair tidy, they are not without their problems. She is too tall for the bouncy castle, even more spottable in games of hide and seek, and, worst of all, too wide to fit through the sweet shop door. Dad and Amy will have to think again.

Daddy Hairdo is such a fun story. I particularly love the pictures, and all the hair themed puns which Claire Powell also carries through into her glorious illustrations.

Rating: 💙💙💙💙💙

Suitable for children aged 2+

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for sending me this book to review. I reviewed it as part of the Daddy Hairdo blog tour where Francis talked to me about the inspiration for the book and its spectacular hairstyles. Read the Q&A here.