Bedhead [Paperback]

Margie Palatini (Author), Jack E. Davis (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2003

It was BIG.

It was BAD.

It was...BEDHEAD!

No doubt about it, Oliver's having a very bad hair day. His parents and sister try to help. They push, they pull, they spritz and they spray; they goop, they glop, and they mousse. But Oliver's hair is still way out of control. And today's class picture day!

What's a boy to do?

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"In a gunkless corner of the soapy silver soap dish... in a fogless smidgen of his father's foggy shaving mirror... right there on the hot-water faucet, for heaven's sake... he saw it!"

Big, bad, BEDHEAD! Oliver's hair is "way out of control." Hair is going every which way, and in the back there's a clump that looks just like a cat's coughed-up fur ball. Drastic measures are in order. Oliver's very helpful family pushes, pulls, waters, spritzes, mousses, and hair-pins the recalcitrant locks, all to no avail. Finally, they remember the one true answer to bedhead: a baseball cap. Off to school Oliver goes, everything fine and dandy until he makes a horrible discovery: today is class picture day, and hats are not allowed.

Margie Palatini's hilarious story will ring painfully true for bedheadites of all ages. Her riotous dialogue flows free and wild, to the most splendid accompaniment of Jack E. Davis's big-faced (and big-haired) comic illustrations. Anyone who has ever suffered the trauma of bedhead--you know who you are--will weep grateful and giddy tears of joy to read this hairy adventure. A terrific read-aloud. (Ages 6 and older) -- Emilie Coulter --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-A loud scream from the upstairs bathroom interrupts Oliver's family's breakfast, and an investigation reveals that the boy is suffering from a bad case of "bedhead." "There was hair going this way. Hair going that way. Hair going up. Down. Around and around." His parents and sister try wetting it and spraying it, but nothing works, and Oliver goes off to school wearing his trusty blue baseball cap-a masterful plan, except that it's class picture day. Palatini's lengthy, hilarious text, which appears in jagged frames that suggest the boy's mounting anxiety, is filled with her signature alliteration and familiar expressions like "Been there. Done that," "a done deal," and "Zero. Zilch. Nada." It will take little persuasion to have children chime in on the "B-B-B-BOING!"s every time Oliver's hair does its thing. The zany cartoon-style illustrations, executed in colored pencil, acrylic, dye, and ink, appear on large double-page spreads with small white borders. Many of them depict Oliver's oversized head, hair flying in all directions, and his family trying to effect a cure. From the shocked expression on Oliver's face on the cover and the bathroom-tile-covered endpapers to the scene of the boy's terrible discovery and the wacky remedies that follow, this is a delightful combination of text and pictures that will have readers coming back for more.
Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community College, CT
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (August 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689860021
• ISBN-13: 978-0689860027
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,963 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Wow. My very first picture book -- PIGGIE PIE!, is celebrating
it's fifteenth anniversary this year! It tickles me to know that
'Gritch' is still giving giggles.
Visit her and my other characters on my website: www.margiepalatini.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is one time I enjoy having bedhead...., June 6, 2000

By 

Xeneri - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bedhead (Hardcover)

Ever have a bad hair day? Of course you have....but not as bad as Oliver's.......

It's class picture day and oliver wakes uo to find he has...BEDHEAD. His hair is a big gooey, clumpy frumpy mess....and no matter what he tries...mousse, spritz, gel, water, pins....it's still outta control! You'll laugh as he and his family try to tame his wild 'do. The dialogue is as witty and as wild as Oliver's hair and the illustrations are just as giddy and free. A great book to share with children and adults alike. Very silly good fun.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There IS such a thing as a "GOOD" bad hair day!, December 13, 2000

By 

teryl sawosik (littleton, ma United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bedhead (Hardcover)

My son turned me on to this book thanks to his pre-school class. His class begs for it to be read...over and over and over. The quirky illustrations and the riotously funny text make for a surefire winner. My son squeals with delight while we read it. A great lively book to share with a child.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HAIRSTERICALLY FUNNY, October 25, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Bedhead (Hardcover)

A simply fabulously funny book about waking up with the worse bad-hair day ever.
Who hasn't tried to poke down those stubborn wayward strands of hair with the help of everything from water to mousse and gel? Kids not only love the subject, but can't resist joining in the refrain of b-b-boings. A great gift for anyone who struggles with chronic
or even acute 'bedhead'.