Bugs in my Hair! Written by David Shannon
Warning: This review will make you itchy!
David Shannon, the talented author and illustrator of the beloved books, No, David! and A Bad Case of Stripes, writes a visually stimulating and hysterical story about a young boy seriously battling the itchy bugs in his hair! Shannon details every parents’ worst nightmare (head lice), and writes the story, complemented with hyperbolic illustrations with a tone that is funny (how could lice be funny?), imaginative, and personifies the lice in such a way, that dare I say…are likable?! Imagine that. Through his storytelling he turns fear of this pesky bug right on its head! No pun intended and trust me on this one.
The story begins when the young boy’s mom makes the discovery that he in fact has head lice and these nasty little bugs were laying eggs in his hair. In his imaginative little head, he wonders what THEY were doing up there. He comes to the conclusion that they must be having a party, to the likes of a Lice-A- Palooza gettogether! But then his mind starts to ponder other ideas and he envisions them dressed in a black cape, slicked black hair, white fangs, with transfixed eyes and determines, no, they are feisty, blood sucking vampires.
He feels like everyone will know these bugs are living in his hair, as they appeared to be larger than life in his imagination. Shame and humiliation start to creep in and he wonders where he caught them. Was it from a hug? A hat? Maybe a sofa? From his dog? It turns out that a bunch of kids from his classroom have them too! (Surprise, surprise!)
The boy explains that people are in denial that they had lice, and refer to these little bugs as simply dandruff, possibly sand from the beach, and of course, confidently they are only ash from a volcano in Pogo Pogo. They are anything but what they appear to be. But the craziest part was he describes that just simply talking about lice made everyone, especially his mom super itchy! “Her problem wasn’t on her head, it was in her head!” (Are you itching yet?)
He becomes informed about lots of cures for these annoying bugs, but his options are all just so awful! Options like shaving his entire head, dumping an entire jar of mayonnaise on his head, and bombing them out with strong chemicals doesn’t appeal to him. These creepy crawling creatures were, in his mind, taking over his whole life! Feeling convinced that if they didn't stop, they would conquer the entire world.
And so…he decided to go to war with them!
Armed with a hair net, lice comb, oils, and a magnifying glass, his mom is ready to charge into the lice battle with him. He tells the little nasties that the party is over, and finally it seems as if mom’s weaponry along with a professional lice treatment seemed to do the trick. For the first time in a long time he had a peaceful night’s rest, that is until they, yes…returned! He had to go through the whole thing again, and in the final page of the book he conquered them once again, and with the idea of moving forward in hopes to protect himself from a third occurrence, dressing himself in head armor for future protection.
Bugs in my Hair will no doubt leave a lasting impression on your personal response, next time you suspect lice in your child’s hair. Parents now have a story to share with their children that factually describes what lice are, what they are doing, and how they can be treated. It’s a story that incorporates specific terms relating to lice, accompanied by exaggerated and fun illustrations that show the lice in a playful and ingenious portrayal. Children will immediately be put at ease as they battle out their head lice, and in my opinion, will scratch away the fear of all parties involved the next time these bothersome bugs invite themselves to your head!
