A little boy with a lion’s mane faces his biggest challenge yet: his first haircut. With tenderness, humor, and a touch of magic, this story celebrates neurodivergent kids and the creative ways they meet the world.

Max is a little boy whose hair grows until it makes him look like a lion. And he can roar! But that means it’s time for a haircut. Max doesn’t like it when his mom takes him to Wendy’s Hairdressing Salon. It’s too bright and noisy. He doesn’t like the water spray and having the protective cloth tied round his neck.

And when Wendy starts snipping, he hates it. “STOP” he shouts.

But then Wendy has a clever idea. When little boys have a cat and a bubble-blower to play with, they don’t mind having their hair cut at all.

Samareh Azadi’s debut picture book perfectly captures the situation all little boys and their mothers must face–his first haircut. But it has a vital extra dimension because Max is neuro-divergent and we are able to see how his sensory processing affects his experience.