Lion Needs a Haircut

Turnabout is fair play in this shaggy dog—er, cat—story. Over spaghetti one night, a lion father declares, “You need a haircut.” “No, I don’t,” says his scruffy progeny, insouciantly twirling a forkful of noodles. The parent persists, introducing reasons (some slightly terrifying) why the ask will turn out fine: “Barber Goat will take good care.... His scissors won’t cut your ears.” When the smaller lion finally admits that he “just wanted my hair to look like yours,” the father confesses that he “used to be scared of scissors, razors, and blow dryers.” The cub cleverly throws the gauntlet: “Oh, no problem, then. We can go to the barbershop together.” Colored pencil art by Yum follows the sandal- and pattern-clad duo to Goatee’s Barber Shop (animals peer out from store windows along the way), from which they emerge tidily shorn: “See, there was nothing to be worried about,” says the cub, the very picture of good-natured ribbing and familial love. Ages 3–7. [em](May) [/em]