"A crackerjack read-aloud with a great finish." —SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL Stanley Birdbaum couldn't be more excited. He has rolled and wrapped and dyed his hair. He has dipped it and sprayed it and made it, well, perfect. He is ready to celebrate Crazy Hair Day at school. But when Stanley saunters up to the classroom, he learns, to his horror, that Crazy Hair Day is . . . next week. To make matters worse, today is School Picture Day, and everyone is expected to line up for the class photo! What's Stanley to do? Stanley Birdbaum's elementary school celebrates all sorts of madcap, made-up holidays from Pajama Day to Crazy Hair Day. Stanley is particularly excited about the latter, and one Friday, he and his mom have a wonderful time crafting his kooky coiffure. Using not one but two cans of Halloween hair spray (blue and orange) and plenty of rubber bands, the daring duo creates a masterpiece: "'This,' he said, 'is going to be a day I will never forget.'" That turns out to be true, but not for the reasons Stanley suspects. When he walks into class, all spiky and striped and ready to go, he hears his teacher reminding everyone that Crazy Hair Day is next Friday . Today, in fact, is School Picture Day. Stanley, now sick, runs to the bathroom and doesn't come out, even when his best friend Larry Finchfeather tries to persuade him. Exiled, he eats his lunch, draws pictures, experiments with toilet flushing, and counts drops of water from a leaky faucet. He finally decides to risk more ridicule and get his picture taken with the class. Fortunately, it does prove to be a day Stanley will never forget, because his classmates surprise him by wearing silly, makeshift hats for the school picture that make him and his crazy hair feel right at home. Saltzberg's sweetly comical illustrations suit this engaging, eventually uplifting tale that shows how kids can be unforgettably cruel and unforgettably kind...all in the same day! (Ages 5 and older) --Karin Snelson Kindergarten-Grade 3-A crackerjack read-aloud with a great finish. Stanley is ready for Crazy Hair Day at school. He gets up early, his mother helps him create a spiky tricolored wonder, and off he goes to discover that Crazy Hair Day is the following Friday and today is School Picture Day. After his friend Larry teases him, an embarrassed Stanley hides in the bathroom. Larry tries to talk him out in time for the picture but Stanley is afraid he'll "look like the class weirdo." Once he realizes that he wants to be in the photo, he returns to the classroom, only to find everyone with a crazy hairdo. The pencil, ink, and acrylic illustrations support the text beautifully. Although their species is not clear, the animal characters resemble aardvarkian Arthur. This delightful tale of confusion and compassion is just the ticket to prepare for special days or defuse potential teasing if someone should arrive in the right getup on the wrong day. Jody McCoy, The Bush School, Seattle, WA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. K-Gr. 2. For Crazy Hair Day at school, Stanley marches into class with his hair arranged in multicolored spikes, determined to have "the craziest hair in the whole school." Unfortunately, poor Stanley has mixed up the dates of Crazy Hair Day and School Picture Day, and he retreats in horror to the bathroom. A friend finally coaxes him back to the class for their group picture, where he discovers everyone modeling sympathy dos. The novelty of spending a school day alone in the bathroom is very truly observed, and adults will appreciate Mr. Winger's deft conversion of one student's catastrophe into an opportunity for class bonding. Saltzberg's characters (hamsters, according to the jacket flap, though they're not recognizable as such) don't express a great range of emotion, but the pictures are bright and appealing, and the authenticity of Stanley's situation is likely to put readers in the mood to share their most embarrassing moments. Jennifer Mattson Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved BARNEY SALTZBERG is the author-illustrator of many books for children and has also recorded two albums of music for children. When not writing and illustrating, he performs in schools, libraries, bookstores, and hospitals.