Max and the Haircut

Max is ‘not sure’ about having his hair cut, but Wendy, the sympathetic hairdresser, changes her approach, and Max comes out happy. This is a story of how a child’s need to control their situation can turn out well for all concerned with a little inclusion and patience. 

Two difficulties arise in the way this story is told: a child whose experience of having their haircut is not like Max’s might feel bewildered or even somehow in the wrong if their own hairdresser or barber does not feel able to accommodate the child’s wishes; there is an issue with the tenses on the text which could leave the reader confused by whether Max always feels like this (and is always supported). There are some good, child-like insights , for example the salon is ‘too bright and noisy…full of sharp spiky objects,’ but does it always make Max feel scared? Does Wendy always have to stop when Max has had enough? 

On the other hand, Wendy is able (after a struggle) to work with Max, and the text and illustrations work well together to tell the story; when the apron is too tight, there seems to be a snake round Max’s neck, and the spray to dampen Max’s hair is matched by a thundercloud and lightning bolt above Max, so that Wendy saying ‘Be a good boy and let me do my job’ sounds at once a typical thing for a hairdresser to say and also a clear dismissal of the boy’s emotions. His confrontation with the dragon is thus a brilliant depiction of the anger and discomfort Max is feeling.

And while we concentrate on Max, Wendy’s change of practice is worth noting: having his hair cut while he is upside down on a bean bag is a bold change of plan on Wendy’s part but her change of approach pays off; she has learned an important lesson about inclusion that ‘we are all different.’