Great to show how parents' daily lives influence children's' lives

When Minji’s mother heads to the beauty salon, Minji pretends to be her dog’s hairdresser. While her mother’s hair is being shampooed, colored, and curled, Minji works diligently on her patient pooch. The simple, charming story of a young girl using her imagination is accompanied by delightful artwork. Choung’s uses subtle colors, mostly white backgrounds, and a cast of very expressive characters to expand the text. Each left-hand page is a picture of Minji’s mother and her hairdresser; opposite is a view of Minji and her dog involved in similar activities. “Mom will be back soon. I think she’ll be surprised,” Minji tells her splendidly remade pup. Indeed, Mom is surprised—and decides she wants to make an appointment of her own with her creative daughter, despite the fact that the house is covered in paint, jello, and more. ( )

Minji pretends to be a stylist using her imagination.

This story is of a little girl who goes to the hair shop with her mother. Minji goes home and try out all her new skills she learns from the shop that day on the dog. This story is intended for children maybe 4 and old .

Ages 3-6.

Mother’s visit to an elegant salon inspires Minji to play hairdresser at home while she is away. Minji persuades her skeptical yet jolly dog to sit as her subject, and uses styling aids such as as ice cream and crayon rollers to make her magic.

The colors of the illustrations are muted, but the contrast between the depictions of mother’s fancy hairstyling experience and Minji’s creative chaos is hilarious. Midway through the process, the dog is covered with an odd assortment of objects, including paint, straws, an underwear cap, and chewed bits of magazine.

The humor of the book is heightened by tongue-in-cheek, playful text. The words of an artiste float overhead as Minji works, spouting aesthetic philosophies such as, “You have to be patient; beauty takes time.” An exaggerated voice will make for a lively read-aloud, helping children understand the irony between the tasteful words and Minji’s mess making; otherwise, the text could come across as dry.

While Minji certainly surprises her mother with her enthusiastic creation, her playacting is viewed with a smile and good grace. In Minji’s Salon, parents and children alike will recognize their own experiences with funny outcomes resulting from the imagination of a child. Recommended. ( )