Even Monsters Need Haircuts

2010, Walker and Co.
ISBN Hardcover: 080278819X
ISBN Paperback: 0802728014

Once a month, when the full moon rises, it’s time for the young son of a barber to get to work. His customers are mostly regulars, but they are a very unusual bunch.

He’ll need more than just scissors to tackle the monstrous task ahead—some rotting tonic, horn polish, and stink wax should do the trick. Being a midnight barber isn’t easy, but even monsters need haircuts.

In McElligott’s delightfully deadpan story, a boy sneaks out to his father’s barbershop for a full-moon session of monster haircutting. Grainy washes with simple, black outlines reflect the gentle art of barbering as the boy stands on a stool (blindfolded) to braid Medusa’s snakes, as other monsters patiently await their turns. “Some customers are easy,” the boy says, as he cuts a single, springy hair from a one-eyed troll. “Some are more difficult,” he goes on, tackling a hairy fiend with pruning shears. With the distinctive combination of the freakish and the humdrum, it’s a good candidate for the stack of battered bedtime favorites.”
— Publisher's Weekly