When Dad's Hair Took Off
Age 6+
Picture Books General Fiction
A fast-paced, comical story for early readers, in which Dad’s hair takes off through the open window to freedom!
One day, Dad’s hair decided it was tired of being brushed and combed. It wanted a life of its own, to see the world. It took off.
Out of the bathroom, into the kitchen, and before you could say, “Hairsta la vista, baby!” it was gone.
Dad gave chase around the town. He spots his hair hiding in the lawn, on the road, at the zoo —it’s amazing how many things look like hair. He gives up.
Dad tries to accept life without hair. Then the postcards arrive. The hair is on a round-the-world trip and Dad is still bald. Until one day the unbelievable happens and the hair comes back.
This is a fast-paced tour-de-force, a wonderfully absurd story packed with wordplay and full colour hilarious illustrations.
When Dad’s Hair Took Off is a comical chapter book for early readers or for any child to enjoy reading aloud with a grownup who relates! A fun book to celebrate and share with Dad on Father’s Day or any day.
Translated from the German edition by Melody Shaw, which was shortlisted for multiple awards.
Jörg Mühle studied illustration in Offenbach and Paris. He has been illustrating for books and magazines since 2000. He is the author and illustrator of worldwide bestselling interactive bedtime book for toddlers, Tickle My Ears.
Praise for When Dad’s Hair Took Off
“all the relish of a tall tale, deadpan timing, and choice vocabulary." starred review, Foreword Reviews
“Get ready for a hair-raising—or should we say hair-racing?—chase and an abundance of absurdity and witty wordplay.” Kirkus Reviews
“An early chapter book—the kind Gecko Press excels at.” School Library Journal
“When Dad’s Hair took Off is the perfect book to read when you feel like a good dollop of humour sprinkled with imagination and steeped in word play, I mean horse play, I mean HAIR play.” NZ Poetry Box
Creators
Jörg Mühle studied at the Offenbach School of Design and the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. He is author and illustrator of numerous bestelling children’s books from board books to junior fiction.
Reviews
Get ready for a hair-raising—or should we say hair-racing?—chase and an abundance of absurdity and witty wordplay.
Kirkus Reviews
When Dad’s Hair took Off is the perfect book to read when you feel like a good dollop of humour sprinkled with imagination and steeped in word play, I mean horse play, I mean HAIR play.
NZ Poetry Box
An early chapter book—the kind Gecko Press excels at.
School Library Journal
Hair searching for adventure makes for a fast-paced and comical read in this delightfully entertaining and laugh-out-loud illustrated early chapter book. Bursting with clever word-play and hair-puns galore, a quirky and bizarre adventure of hair-larious chase scenes and overseas vacations will have readers racing through the pages to get to the conclusion of this hair-raising tale.
A Word About Books
It’s totally improbable as a story but is great fun and I found myself laughing aloud at times – not usual for me as a reader. Young readers will also enjoy the impossibility of all that happens. I enjoyed Melody Shaw’s translation because she has created such naturally sounding sentences. There are many puns, wordplays, and commonplace (but not mundane) expressions. Mühle’s illustrations reflect the crazy nature of the story. As the reader turns each page, the cartoon-like pictures contain so much more than just the words. Early readers are sure to love the madcap nature of this story.
Reading Time
