Annabelle, a student who brings her own creativity and individuality to the classroom, walks into the classroom with a disturbing look on her face. Even though it is the first day of school, she surveys the class to see an average every day setting. "Ponytails and braids! Ponytails and braids! I don't see anything but ponytails and braids! This class needs some fashion. This class needs some fun. I'll find a hairdo to impress everyone," she exclaims with a pout. Since these observations are too dull for her liking, she decides to explore new options for a hairdo. With determination, Annabelle attempts to create a hairdo that would stand out from the crowd. A marvelous bouffant! Little did Annabelle know a unique hairstyle, such as a bouffant, would take a lot of work and technique. On the next day of school, Annabelle parades her bouffant to her friends on the playground. Everyone snickers with amazement. But as more of her classmates start to notice how different her hairstyle is, the more people at her school attempt to experiment with the bouffant hairstyle. Once again, Annabelle finds herself searching for something new and different to bring to her boring classroom. Explore the creativity and desire to be unique through the lens of Annabelle. Teachers can use this text as a think aloud lesson when reading the book to a whole group. While modeling "think alouds," students will learn how characters can have different personalities and think about the same situation in different ways. Students will also learn to appreciate and respect the actions, styles, and individual expressions of others. Thus, this is a great story to read aloud to students and to use as an aid to help students understand characterization in a given text. Reviewer: Erika Clark

PreS-Gr 2—Annabelle has her own sense of style. On her first day of school, she finds her classmates' ponytails and braids a tad too ordinary for her taste. She becomes intrigued with a photo of her grandmother with a bouffant hairdo and decides that this is just what she needs to liven things up. "A big bouffant is all I really want!" Her mother repeatedly tries to persuade her to try other styles, but Annabelle wants no part of them. Eventually, all the girls and even a few of the boys jump on the big-hair bandwagon. But Annabelle's individual flare won't allow her to be like everyone else so she sets off once again to make a fashion statement. Warm tones and colorful patterns result in rich illustrations that carry Annabelle's exuberance and determination through the pages. Shadow and texture layer the story, and panels help readers move along visually. This rhyming text will delight fans of Robert Munsch's Stephanie's Ponytail (Firefly, 1996) and will make a good addition for hair-themed storytimes.—Melissa Smith, Royal Oak Public Library, MI