Summary: Medusa refuses to care for her hair, her long locks getting messier with each passing page. Her hair rebellion elicits frozen expressions of shock from her family, but nothing will convince Medusa to brush. Only her hairdresser approaches Medusa with bravery and scissors, successfully solving the problem . . . with a short haircut! All are pleased with this drastic yet adorable solution. Leslie Patricelli’s depictions of this physical comedy bring a lively visual narrative to Joan Holub’s expertly focused text. Includes a summary of the original Medusa’s Wild Hair myth at the end.
My review:
This is a myth that I know pretty well so, I found the twist the author spun on this one to be humorous. I particularly loved the look on Grandma's face when she walked in the door and saw her hair.
Although the real Medusa's hair was said to be made of snakes, I liked that the author and illustrator did not make it that way but instead just wild. However, the hint of the snakes was still in the pages but not as frightening.
As with the last two toddler board books from this series, she incorporated the myth in the back of the book which could be read by parent or an older child.
Summary: Midas wants everything to be his favorite color – yellow! He chooses yellow clothes, eats yellow foods, and uses only the yellow paint at his art easel. But when he impulsively paints his beloved green Dinoboo, Midas discovers that too much of a good thing is a big mess! Joan Holub’s carefully crafted text is brought to life by Leslie Patricelli’s famously humorous illustrations. Includes a summary of the original Midas’ Golden Touch myth at the end.
My review:
Yellow is a wonderful color but unlike Midas, I do not think I would want everything yellow. Again, author Joan Holub has created a tale that gets the point of the myth across but in a fun and non-threatening way.
The bold pictures are so cute and I just know any toddler would enjoy looking at them over and over. In addition, they will be able to identify the color yellow and maybe a couple of other colors that peep into the pages.
As with the other books, the original myth is on the back page for adults or older children to learn about.
Both books are perfect for ages 1-3 years old and get 5 stars from me.
Disclosure: I received a copy of both of these books for my open and honest opinion. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Naila Moon
Where to find the author:
Joan Holub’s fascination with mythology inspired Mini Myths, a new board book series that translates famous myths into situations familiar to preschoolers. The first four titles are Be Patient, Pandora!, Play Nice, Hercules!, Brush Your Hair, Medusa! and Make A Wish, Midas! published by Abrams Appleseed. Joan co-authors two other mythology series for Simon and Schuster, Goddess Girls (ages 8-12) and Heroes in Training (ages 7-10). Her picture book, Mighty Dads, was a New York Times bestseller in 2014.
