Customer Reviews

The Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In The Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School , we meet Zoe and her lovely, wild, untamed red locks. Her hair is so voluminous that, as a baby, she needed two strollers; one for herself and one for her hair.

Not only is her hair plentiful and beautiful, it is also talented. Her hair can turn on the tv, pet the cat, pour juice AND play on the computer--all at the same time. . . while Zoe sleeps!

When Zoe started school, her Kindergarten teacher loved Zoe and her tresses, giving chores to the hair while the students napped. Unfortunately, one Zoe's first day of First Grade, her new teacher lets her differing views be known immediately. "School has rules," says Ms. Trisk, "no wild hair in my class." Naturally, this stirs up the rebel in Zoe's hair, and to Zoe's embarrassment, her hair does all sorts of naughty things to annoy Ms. Trisk.

Will Zoe, her hair and Ms. Trisk find a happy medium?

I'll go ahead and tell you: Yes! This book is about compromise and individuality, how both parties can give and take with a satisfying outcome. Though Ms. Trisk is in the wrong, there is never a question about Zoe, or her parents, following Ms. Trisk's instructions. I liked this, in that it isn't showing a rebellion against a teacher, rather a willingness to compromise.

The illustrations are lovely. Zoe's amazing hair is not a vivid, overpowering red, but rather a true to form orangey red that one sees on people daily. His illustrations are also light and engaging, adding more depth to the story.

I think this is a delightful book and could certainly give across a message of cooperation, especially if discussed afterward. For younger children, who might not understand such a message, the amusing story and lively illustrations will make a pleasure to read.

I loved the title of the book and the illustration on the front cover, so I decided to request this book for review on the Vine program. I read the story to my 8 year old (who has some unruly hair himself), so the comments in this review reflect an 8 year old's point of view, as well as an adult.

My son gave the illustrations 3 stars and the story 4 stars. He thought the pictures were imaginative (as did I), but he did not care for the overall feel of the pictures and thought the colors were too boring (except for the fabulous red hair). He noticed that the author comments about the little girl having one blue eye and one green eye, yet in some of the pictures, they look like they are the same color, and in others, they are so small, they just look gray or black, and that bothered him. He thinks the pictures in books are just as important as the story, so that is how he came up with a 3-1/2 star rating.

The idea of the story appealed to me, and I love that the main character in the book is not your typical first grader. Any child with wild and unruly hair can relate to having hair that will not cooperate, and the author does a great job showing just what kind of crazy things can happen when wild hair is left to its own devices. What threw me in reading the story is that the first part of the book focuses on all the fun and creative things Zoe's hair can do, and it was so much fun to read. Then we meet a very mean and inflexible teacher that tried to tame the hair and all of its shenanigans. What I never really figured out was why the parents allowed a nasty teacher and gloomy principal to place such restrictions on their daughter's hair without even giving so much as a peep of dissent over the "school has rules" philosophy. Her parents did not back her individuality and that bothered me a little bit. They just went along with the program and had their daughter's hair duct taped to keep it under control. Even my eight year old asked out loud why they let the school duct tape her hair. If the author wanted to write a book about being an individual in the age of cookie cutter everything, I think the concept could have been presented in a more positive light. The first grade teacher is just mean, and I have yet to meet any elementary school teacher who would treat a child like that teacher treated Zoe. While the teacher learns her lesson at the end of the story, and sees what a benefit Zoe's hair can be, I just can't imagine any teacher acting the way she did earlier in the story. Maybe I have just been blessed to be around really great teachers, but this stereotype will not do any wonders for a child getting ready to go to first grade. I loved the concept of the book, it just did not play out as I had hoped. I think children will enjoy the story and marvel at Zoe's magical, wonderful hair, but I am not sure this will be a favorite book that is requested all that often.

I can't say enough good about this book. The story is interesting, the illustrations are phenomenal, and the message is spot on.

First, the story. Zoe is a cute little first grader with very special hair. Her wild red hair can do things for Zoe, like brush her teeth and take out the trash. Zoe's new teacher doesn't know how to cope with such special hair, and things get, ummm, hairy. The story is great. The author has created a very likable character, introduced some conflict, and resolved it in a way that makes the reader say, "Yes!"

Secondly, the illustrations. Ard Hoyt knows how to draw hair. I found myself mesmerized by Zoe's undulating locks. Every time I read the book to my daughters, I would see something new in the illustrations. Every now and then I find myself picking it up just for a quick flip through on my own. Zoe's hair has a mind of its own, and the pictures reveal that fact perfectly.

Thirdly, the message. I really appreciated this book's message and I think it's one kids need to hear over and over again. We're not all the same, and we don't have to pretend that we are or can all do the same things. The moral of Zoe's hair is very similar to the message in The Incredibles (Two-Disc Collector's Edition). Some people have special gifts, and society only harms itself when it tries to minimize those gifts in the spirit of equality.

Give this book a try. Delightful.

I bought this book becasue I have huge naturally curly hair and 2 diff colored eyes....My 8 yr old son loves this book and it is hilarious....it is an easy read for kids and I recommend it to anyone with kids over 4.

Who (or is it what?) can turn on the TV, pour juice, pet the cat, and play on the computer--all at the same time? What lone infant requires two strollers and two cribs? And who, in the first grade, can "pick up the trash, erase the board, and set the table for snack," again, simultaneously? Who? Zoe Fleefenbacher, or more precisely, Zoe Fleenfenbacher and her really gigantic, bigger-than-Medusa, wild-as-wild horses, long (really long) hair.

At first, this hair seems to have a mind of its own; one doesn't sense that Zoe the infant or toddler controls it. However, as Zoe grows older, her hair seems to replicate Zoe's emotions. How else to explain the helpful hair in first grade (the one that sets the table for snack time, and soothes Zoe's classmates), and the rebellious hair that plays havoc with second-grade teacher Ms. Trist, rule-bound and rigid and no-nonsense. Zoe (and/or her hair) act precisely the opposite of Mr. Trist's strictures, and the hair now tickles classmates, and is generally disruptive.

The puzzle here is who, if anyone, is in control of Zoe's hair? Does the hair act on its own, or does it reflect Zoe's anger with Ms. Trist? Why does the hair act the way it does, and how do Zoe and her parents feel about it? The family obediently meets with the equally rule-bound principal, and they all agree that the hair must be tamed. Zoe dutifully tries braiding her hair, ponytailing it, and even submits to an outlandish attempt to coerce submission under a barrage of barrettes and other clamps. Does Zoe feel anything other than miserable that she cannot control her hair?

The ultimate message is that the Zoe (through her hair) must accommodate the dictates of the classroom, rather than the more liberating (and more creative) perspective that the classroom and school may sometimes have to accommodate the student. Zoe finally becomes agent, and somehow wills her hair to help Ms. Trist with a science experiment, to which the teacher reacts with joy and positive feedback. This conventional solution to an initially inventive narrative feels bland and not very satisfying.

The book's humor is located mainly in Ard Hoyt's illustration of the creature-like hair, so long that it collects stray objects, and so strong (and plucky that it defies the principals admonition that Zoe's hair must stay outside his office during the family meeting. (This is probably the book's funniest scene, as we see the hair secretly creeping back into the office under a door, and through an air vent--holding binoculars!).

There are some puzzling inconsistencies even in the pictures. We're informed from the outset that Zoe has one blue eye and one green, yet our first view of her clearly shows two blue eyes (later, we see the promised green and blue). When Zoe attempts a ponytail, the hair snaps off--how does it re-attach itself? More importantly, the pictures lack depth and tonal variation. Still, Mr. Ard pen and ink an d watercolor drawings capture Zoe's alternating joy and frustration, Ms. Trisk's annoyance, and the whirling, potent spontaneity of Zoe's silky orange seaweedy hair. Overall, however, the narrative and pictures lack wit and flair, and one finishes with the feeling that the school's rigidity tamed Zoe and her hair a little too much. A zany premise deserves a cleverer conclusion.

This is a wonderfully whimsicle book about a young girl with the wildest imaginable hair. The illustrations are fabulous. This book will certain speak to the anxieties of many kids getting ready for first grade. A very fun book!

That's the message of this book. A little red-haired girl's wild hair is always doing something including getting her into trouble with a rules- minded teacher. But the teacher learns that hair can be helpful.

Wonderful book for your wild red-haired best friend, the mischievous child in your life, for the different child that hasn't yet learned self-acceptance, for the teacher teaching appreciation of differences.

I have a red-headed daughter entering first grade so this book was a must try. The story progresses from Zoe's babyhood to first grade and tells how even though most people loved her unique, very independent hair, her first grade teacher did not (at first). 'First grade has rules' the teacher states sternly. The teacher tries everything she can think of to restrain Zoe's hair which has a mind of its own and likes to play tricks. By the end of the story a compromise was reached allowing Zoe's hair to channel it's energy into being helpful, which makes Zoe and her teacher happy.

The illustrations are very well done, I'm sure my daughter will love to read this book over and over just to look at the pictures. The story seemed to portray the first grade teacher as rather harsh and stern, even though she mellowed by the end. I hope this portion doesn't intimidate children who may worry that their first grade teacher will be unyielding about their unique aspects.

Overall I liked the theme that even though there may be people in our lives who appear to be inflexible, compromises can be reached that benefit everyone involved.

I bought this book for my 7-year-old granddaughter. I'm used to reading stories to her, which she loves. So when she received the book, in order to show me how much she loved it, she read it to me over the Skype - for she lives in the USA and I am in Brazil. Well, it was fun and sweet - both she and I sharing laughter and feelings over Zoe Fleefenbacher's trials (due to her fascinating hair). And this time - proudly - my granddaughter was reading to me. A rewarding experience.

From its bright purple end papers and wrap-around cover featuring a flowing mop of wild red hair clutching a baseball mitt, bat, pink flamingo, goldfish bowl and Zoe Fleefenbacher, you can tell this is a serious book about a girl with a serious hair problem. Her bright red untamed hair has a mind of its own, which is fine at home but wreaks havoc in Ms. Trisk's first grade class because "school has rules" and Zoe's hair seems determined to break them all. It tickles people, it draws on the walls while Zoe is in time-out, it must be tamed. Braids don't work, and ponytails don't work; scrunchies, barrettes and clips and headbands and duct tape are all brought to bear on the problem of Zoe Fleefenbacher's hair (the kids will love the name I'm sure) to no avail. When Ms. Trisk has difficulty demonstrating the solar system's workings to her class and the wild red hair breaks free to help, the day is saved and Zoe Fleefenbacher's hyperbolic hair proves to be amazing and helpful, and thoroughly acceptable in the first grade. We can hardly wait to see what happens in the second grade.