When Aaron yells "Hair! I hate you!" his insulted hair runs away from home (and head), causing chaos and traffic congestion as it jumps from one person to another. It's only when bald-pated Aaron finally proclaims "I like my hair," that his hair relents and returns to his head. The colorful, cartoony pictures will appeal to young kids, but the harebrained story features an uninventively repetitive text.

PreS-Gr 2-Growing totally frustrated with his unruly mop of tangles, Aaron declares that he hates his hair. The insulted locks take off, with the bald boy in pursuit. The chase leads downtown where the runaway mane causes much disruption by attaching itself to various people and to a famous statue. Finally, hair and boy are reunited although whether the blond curls will stay on top of his head or imitate his father's beard is still in question. The watercolor illustrations help evoke the turmoil described, but the joke goes on way too long. The theme has been mined recently in Dawn Lesley Stewart's Harriet's Horrible Hair Day (Peachtree, 2000), Lindsay Lee Johnson's Hurricane Henrietta (Dial, 1998), and Carolivia Herron's Nappy Hair (Knopf, 1997). Perhaps die-hard Munsch fans will want to see this title, but most readers won't miss it.-Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.