This is such a cute and adorable story. I loved this artsy girl and her flair. The artwork is marvelous and fits the story to perfection. ( )

Children's picture book. [reviewed from egalley.] Adorable story about a little girl who eschews the usual ponytails and braids in favor of something different: "Oh please, Mom, please, / can I have a bouffant? / A big bouffant is / all I really want!" The author smoothly incorporates new vocabulary into the kid-friendly rhymes: "Annabelle smeared butter and honey on her head. / She p u l l e d and she piled until her face turned red. / When she leaned to the left, her hair slithered right, / but Annabelle kept styling with all of her might." Even from the egalley I can tell that the illustrations are vibrant and endearing--everything you'd want in a picture book. This story should go over well with preschoolers (and their parents), especially those who are into hair. ( )

Dissatisfied with the state of her classmates' coiffeurs - "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" - Annabelle, the heroine of this rhyming picture-book, decides to create her own bouffant hair arrangement. Her initial efforts produce nothing but a mess, but then her mother steps in to help, and a beautiful arrangement is made. Annabelle's classmates eventually follow her lead, creating bouffants of their own, but by that time the young girl has found a new way to stand out...

I wasn't particularly impressed by Big Bouffant, either as a story, or as a text. I just couldn't summon up that much interest in Annabelle's hair woes, and while I found her motivations for creating the bouffant - she wanted to stand out from the crowd - quite natural in a child of her age, I didn't find her particularly sympathetic as a character. I also frequently found Kate Hosford's rhyme scheme rather awkward, and thought that sometimes the line structure was forced or felt slightly off. This would have been a low two-star title for me, but I did enjoy British artist Holly Clifford-Brown's quirky artwork, which was colorful and humorous. Tastes vary, so if anyone is looking for children's stories specifically about hairstyles, or about themes like being a trend-setter, or trying to stand out from the crowd, perhaps they might want to give this one a try. ( )

Goodness I love these illustrations. http://librarianpirate.blogspot.com/2010/11/big-bouffant-by-kate-hosford-and-abc... ( )

Annabelle is bored with the boring way the girls in her class do their hair each morning. “Ponytails and braids! Ponytails and braids!” she moans. “I don’t see anything but ponytails and braids!”

She decides to make a hairdo to top everyone; she decides to make her hair into a bouffant.

When everyone copies her, she switches gears and turns to designing a more imaginative dress.

“Annabelle went home and slumped on her bed.

‘My bouffant’s so boring---
I want something new instead!’
She thought very hard
with her eyes closed tight.
‘I know what I’ll do,
but I need to start tonight.”

I love to read stories about kids who don't follow the crowd, and I loved seeing the crazy bouffant hairstyles, so this was a fun read for me. ( )