about the book
Pow! Whooosh! Zoooom! Superheroes to the rescue!
The leader, Rocco, is a comic book fanatic who dons a star-spangled blue cape. His abilities come from his great big frizzy red fro! His three superhero friends also sport shaggy long ‘dos. This posse has it all figured out—the longer the locks, the more awesome the power!
Cheered on by his friends, this kid hero races all over the neighborhood, splashing through the creek at break-neck speed and launching his bike sky high from a homemade ramp! Powered by their flowing manes, these four are unstoppable! Until Rocco’s father captures him in the family car and hauls him off to the evil “villain’s lair!”
Whack, whack goes the “big brute’s” shears, and Rocco’s tangled hair ends up on the barber’s floor! Robbed of all his power, how can Rocco face his buddies? To regain his hero-ness, he tries hair replacements, a mop wig, even a doggie toupee! Nothing works.
When he learns that his buddies have also had haircuts and lost their powers, the whole world turns gray—until a wise and observant girl proves to them that their Kryptonite is only in their minds!
about the author
John Rocco grew up in Barrington, Rhode Island, working for the shell fishing industry of Narragansett Bay. The work was hard, but raking up clams while standing in a leaky boat is an adventure many young boys might envy.
John went to the Rhode Island School of Design and School of Visual Arts in New York City. His career took off when Whoopi Goldberg approached him to illustrate her book Alice. From there, he jumped did graphic design for several big companies.
He also worked at Walt Disney Imagineering and at Dreamworks, acting as the art director for the highly successful first Shrek movie. He also illustrates the covers of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and creates CGI commercials, special effects, and projects for museums.
John is an extremely focused artist. Every work day, he is in his art studio as soon as he drops his daughter off at school and works long and hard, nearly finishing a painting each day. When writing, he’s up at 5:30 in the morning!
With wife Aileen, daughter Alaya, and their dog Jag, John lives alternately in Brooklyn, where he works, and in upstate Pennsylvania, where the entire family restored a farmhouse built in the 1860s—much to the chagrin of the chipmunks, mice, and six bats that once lived there.
Sources:
Author website
Author interview: Elizabeth Dulemba
Also by John Rocco:
Blackout. Hyperion Press. 2011.
Fu Finds the Way. Hyperion Press. 2009.
Boy, Were We Wrong about the Solar System by Kathleen V. Kudlinski. Dutton Juvenile. 2008.
Moonpowder. Hyperion Press. 2008.
Wolf! Wolf!. Hyperion Press. 2007.
read more!
Blackout by John Rocco
In a city apartment a family of four goes about its typical evening. The youngest child reaches for a board game, the older sister is talking on the phone, mom is finishing up on the computer, and dad is cooking dinner—until the lights go out! All of them! During the blackout, the city’s residents rediscover the joys of spending time together without the trappings of modern technology.
Bugs in My Hair! by David Shannon
Head Lice! YUCK! When this itchy lad panics when learns the horrible truth. Will having lice turn him into an outcast? Will they have to burn off his hair? What if the “lice-a-palooza” invades the whole house? Don’t worry—mom is prepared to handle the “Little Nasties”—with a stinky shampoo and a nit comb. This book supplies lots of good information and hilarious gentle reassurances.
Even Monsters Need Haircuts by Matthew McElligott
A young barber has a very different clientele than his dad. Each full moon, the shop fills up with monsters waiting for the boy’s snipping talents. Some customers are easy, like the troll with a single hair. Some are more difficult—what should he do when the headless man wants “a little taken off the top?”