Troublesome Tresses

"She whines and she moans and she howls in despair, but Ella Kazoo will not brush her hair."

I'm sure that at some point as parents, we've all matched wits with a tenacious toddler who refuses to brush her hair.  This is a daily battle that I can certainly relate to, so when I saw this book at the library last week, I couldn't resist checking it out.  Ella Kazoo Will NOT Brush Her Hair by Lee Fox is a cautionary tale about a little girl who would rather do anything else on the planet besides brush her hair.  Ella "stashes her brush in the drawer with her socks," and when her mom desperately tried to tame Ella's mane, "she just runs off like a swift hurricane."  Ella's untamed tresses grow longer and more tangled with each turn of the page, until one morning Ella discovers her locks have grown so out of control that they've taken over the entire house!  "This hair must be stopped!"  A team of hairdressers rescue Ella from her troublesome tresses and "all due to a haircut, quite simple and snappy, both mother and daughter are blissfully happy."

We enjoyed watching Ella's tangled mane take on a life of it's own as the story progressed.  The wonderful ink and watercolor illustrations by Jennifer Plecas brought Ella's increasingly wild hair to life.  Most importantly, the hilarious Ella Kazoo Will NOT Brush Her Hair taught my daughter an important lesson...take control of your hair before it takes control of you!