The Fairytale Hairdresser and Aladdin

Step into the world of Kittie Lacey, 'the best hairdresser in all the land' - the land of fairytales, that is, where the ever-resourceful Kittie Lacey solves mysteries, helps fairytale characters overcome challenges and, finally, sorts out their hair! A truly modern heroine! The Fairytale Hairdresser books, if you've not yet come across them, have many committed young fans. The glittery covers, gorgeously detailed illustrations (with lots of humour) and the lure of a fairytale make these picture books a favourite for storytime, with others in the series drawing on fairytales characters such as Rapunzel, Beauty and the Beast and the Princess and the Pea, to name a few. In this story, The Fairytale Hairdresser and Aladdin, Kittie is whisked off on holiday via Aladdin's flying carpet. All goes well until Aladdin disappears, having been tricked by Ibeneeza to hand over a magic jewel. Whoever looks into the jewel must obey Ibeneeza and in this way, he plans to force Jamelia to marry him. Kittie soon finds a way to overturn Ibeneeza's plans and the the requisit lamp, genie and wedding form part of the story. As well as the well-paced storyline and illustrations, the draw for these books are their strong echoes to the original stories (but with very different storylines), and the happy endings. Children will need to know the original fairytale to get the most out of these but the series would work well as part of topics on fairytale retellings and could be used to encourage upper KS1 children to tell their own fairytale, with a twist. Picture book / Ages 3-6 years / Reviewed by Linda Winter.

Suggested Reading Age 3+