LOM AND THE GNATTERS

Inspired by her hairbrush-hating daughter, Venezuelan writer Kurusa sets her cautionary story in an imaginary East African savanna. Soldier Bird, the bicycle-riding barber, warns Lom the lion that his dreadlock-like mane must be combed, but Lom refuses, and this is where the visual fun begins. Groups of Gnatters arrive to live in the knotty mane. These green flying bugs come with their suitcases, their picnic tables, their martini glasses and their disco ball, among other impedimenta. They also want to invite their cousins, the Fleazies, but that never happens because Lom has had it—but when he finally allows Soldier Bird to comb his mane, the job is beyond that simple grooming tool. All the beautiful red hair must be cut, and when it is, Lom’s new spiky look results in his adoption by a baby porcupine. The bugs are a little adult in their tastes, but the slight story will remind young children of their own experiences with the dreaded comb, and Ferrer’s rich, textured illustrations reveal new humorous surprises with each reading. (Picture book. 3-6)