The Haircut

With a subtle nod to the traditional male barber shops of the past, The Haircut captures a toddler’s experience with his first haircut. A little boy constantly has to push the hair back from his eyes as he plays, and so his dad decides that it’s time for a trip to the barber shop. With some trepidation, the boy enters the shop, wondering if the procedure will hurt. He holds his dad’s hand for comfort but finds the haircut experience to be not so bad after all, and, when the haircut is finished, he proudly gazes at himself in the mirror. No more hair in the eyes! Pleased with his neat appearance and his newly found confidence, the boy, with lollipop “reward” in hand, heads home with his dad.

Told with simplicity in short, clipped sentences, The Haircut will be relatable to toddlers, many of whom will have some anxiety about getting their hair cut for the first time. The large book format, with padded covers and rounded corners, is perfect for little ones, and the heavy pages make it both durable and easy for toddlers to turn the pages.

Renné Benoit’s soft watercolor illustrations, rendered in muted shades of blue, tan and sienna with pops of red, add charm to the story. Since babies and toddlers love to look at faces, the cover, showing a close-up of the little boy in the barber’s chair, will attract their attention. Adults will clue in to the barber pole stripes on the end papers.

Though the topic of the story is suitable for the target age group, some three-year-olds might find the language of The Haircut just a bit too simple.