Beard Boy by John Flannery Book Review

Beard Boy by John Flannery
Illustrations by Steven Weinberg
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Book for Young Readers
Release Date: May 10, 2016

Ben wants a beard. All the coolest people he knows have one. The baker, the barbers, the butcher, and most importantly--his dad. He has tried and tried, but nothing seems to work. Even when his dad says that this is something that is just going to have to wait for him to grow up, Ben is not satisfied. He wants a beard now!

We are now in the era where beard wearing hipster dads are having kids, so it isn't any surprise that there are a number of beard and mustache picture books that have begun appearing. After all, hipsters need picture books too. Which does make me wonder though, were there a plethora of children's books coming out in the sixties and seventies for children of hippies? No matter, this book had a special sort of charm in that of a child wanting to be like his dad. If for no other reason than he looks up to his father and considers him to be "boss". The illustrations are done in child-like cartoons that felt as if Ben himself was illustrating the story. Also, let's not forget that Ben's mother has tattoos, which is also a rarity in picture books and something that made this book stand out all the more.