Blue Bison Needs a Haircut

by Scott Rothman (Author) Pete Oswald (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

Blue Bison tries his best to be patient in this humorous picture book from the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Pete Oswald.

Blue Bison prides himself on always looking clean and neat. But he has a growing problem--his hair. With the barber shops and just about everywhere else closed, all Blue Bison can do is ram his ramming rock in frustration. Meanwhile, his hair keeps growing. His dad, Brown Bison, encourages him to be patient and wait, and his mom, Burgundy Bison, tries to explain that sometimes you want something that you really don't need. But all Blue Bison can do is whine and wallow. Could little sister Bubblegum Bison have the solution?

A wildly hilarious story with a subtle message that waiting is hard but sometimes is necessary.

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$18.99

Kirkus

This one puts the "ha" in “haircut”—be prepared to snuggle up and laugh often.

Publishers Weekly

Previous collaborators and comedy pros Rothman and Oswald (Attack of the Underwear Dragon) introduce readers to an eponymous protagonist who genuinely enjoys haircuts as a way "to look nice and neat for his family and playground associates." Gouache-textured digital art shows a mustachioed hippo barber turning the protagonist's tangled curls into a sharp-looking, slicked-back coif. But when the town, barber included, shuts down for "some reason," Blue Bison does not take it well, even though family and playground associates tell him they're fine with however he appears. He rams a rock and wallows, and it becomes clear that maybe this love of haircuts is about having a sense of agency, independence, and control. Meanwhile, little sister Bubble Gum Bison is waiting in the wings, eager to try out her hairdressing skills. The creators strike a satisfying balance between the wry and the sweet, adding smile-garnering asides throughout Blue Bison's journey from frustration to equanimity--and a new 'do. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Andrea Morrison, Writers House. Illustrator's agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Agency. (Oct.)

Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

This one puts the ha in 'haircut'—be prepared to snuggle up and laugh often. —Kirkus Reviews
Scott Rothman
Scott Rothman is a writer of screenplays and picture books, including Attack of the Underwear Dragon and Return of the Underwear Dragon. His humor writing has appeared in The New Yorker, GQ, and McSweeney's. He lives in Connecticut with his wife and kids. For more info, check out scottrothmanwriter.com.
scottrothmanwriter.com
twitter: @scottmrothman

Mika Song is children's author/illustrator who makes stories about sweetly funny outsiders. Her recent work, Donut Feed the Squirrels, has been widely acclaimed and was published by Random House Graphic. Before picture books she was an animator. In 2015, she received the Portfolio Award at the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Winter Conference in NYC. In 2020, A Friend for Henry by Jen Bailey and illustrated by Song received a Schneider Family Honor. She grew up in Manila, Philippines and Honolulu, Hawaii and calls New York her home.
mikasongdraws.com
instagram: mikasongdraws
twitter: @mikasongdraws
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780593428160
Lexile Measure
560
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Random House Studio
Publication date
October 18, 2022
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV009020 - Juvenile Fiction | Concepts | Colors
JUV002160 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Mammals
Library of Congress categories
-

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