Max and the Haircut
Samareh Azadi
Otter-Barry Books

This story is narrated by Max whose hair has grown so much it resembles a lion’s mane and he’s got the roar to go with it. Nw Mum has decided that it’s time for him to go for his very first haircut, destination Wendy’s Hair Salon. This is bound to be a very big challenge as Max is neurodivergent. When they arrive he finds the salon too bright, too noisy and it’s full of sharp, spiky objects As soon as Wendy puts a cape around his neck it feels uncomfortable as he finds it too tight. Max hates the water spray too and the sharpness of the hair clips.

Then Wendy starts snipping and very soon he calls out “STOP!” Wendy does so and then she has a good idea. She removes Max’s apron and offers him a cat to cuddle and a bubble- blower to play with. This makes things much, much better, so much better that Max announces, “ I like it!” Whether he’s referring to his new haircut or the cat/bubble experience, it matters not. What does matter is that Wendy accepted that Max needed a different approach from the usual one she would use with a neurotypical child and was willing to cater for that.

Tenderly told, Samareh Azadi’s first picture book beautifully captures the first haircut experience, but in addition gives it an extra unspoken element: an aspect of Max’s neurodivergence is his sensory processing and how this affects his new experience. (I love Max’s creative thinks bubbles during the first part of his haircut.)