Multicultural

 

Title: Bippity Bop Barbershop

Author: Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
Illustrator: E. B. Lewis
Age group: 4-9 y/o
Awards: N/A
Genre: Fiction

Summary

This book is about a boy named Miles who is going to get his first haircut with his dad. They leave early in the morning and for some reason people keep telling Miles to be brave. He does not understand why, but he is a little nervous since it is his first haircut. Once they get to the barber shop, miles sees all these men getting different haircuts and different hairstyles, but none that he likes. He also sees all these men doing different things such as playing chess and watching the game on the TV. Finally it his turn to get a haircut, and when asked what style he wants, he does not know what to say. Then Mr. Seymour, the barber, shows him different styles on a poster and he does not like none of them. It is not until he sees his dad that he says he wants the style he has. He gets scared in then process, so his dad tells him to pretend he is a giant and the buzzing noise is an airplane zooming by. At the end of his haircut Miles is happy, both him and his dad got the same hairstyle and they head home. 

Evaluation

I would use this book in class, because this is a situation that we have all gone through. I feel like although it may not be the first haircut, since people do not usually remember their first haircut, it is kind of nerve wracking. The illustrations in the book are really good and they help with the text. I have not been to a barber shop, but I have seen some in movies, and the illustrations depict what I imagine a barber shop would look like. They made me feel like I was actually in a barber shop, and I could imagine it with real people. The book can be used to teach the students that they should not be nervous about getting a haircut or if it actually is their first haircut. The book can also be used to teach them about bonding with their parents since in the story Miles and his dad bond through his first haircut. The book is a really good book and can be used as a simple read aloud.