The Kid with the Amazing Head

The Kid with the Amazing Head by Andrew Weldon (Puffin Books) PB RRP $9.99

ISBN 9780143309161

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

Andrew Weldon is a clever and highly imaginative writer and illustrator, that’s for sure. One wonders how his brain works! Very strangely, it seems, in this quirky and engaging book for children aged 7+ years.

The kid with the amazing head is Steven who awakes one day to find his head can do whatever he wants! He can make parts of it expand (such as the ears and cheeks), turn it into something else (a hand, a balloon, a sunflower) and he can make it look like anyone else, even famous people. Getting ready for school, he can create dozens of hair styles (with the head on his head, and also with beards and moustaches) as shown in one full page of hair style illustrations.

Most people are unimpressed at these tricks, but Clever Trevor (a character in another of Weldon’s Puffin books) and his friend naughty Paul work out ways in which Steven can use his unnatural talent – such as robbing a bank. (With Steven able to disguise himself, this lends itself to all kinds of possibilities!) Another idea is to find the missing heiress Claire Blairey.

No more spoilers – this is a book that needs lots of attention, not because it is full of fun and energy, but because the illustrations demand lots of pouring over. Buy it for a child you care about, and especially buy it for the kid you know who normally wouldn’t want to read. Chances are he will love this book!