This haircut is one for the books.
A Queens librarian chopped off her long hair and donated it to charity yesterday after the kids in her summer reading program won a bet.
Sueli Zaqem had wagered that the children couldn't finish twice and many books as they did last year - and said she'd cut off her black tresses if proven wrong.
When the youngsters at the Hollis branch read 1,000 books - compared to the 490 they tallied last summer - Zaqem kept her word.
"I was proud," said Zaqem, 48, of South Ozone Park. "I had to live up to my end."
The kids clapped and cheered as she sat in a chair and let a colleague snip off a 13-inch ponytail for Locks of Love, which donates hair to kids made bald by illness.
"She still looks really good," said Campbell Goin, 11, of Queens Village, who read 30 books this summer.
Zaqem said when she first made her pledge at the beginning of the summer, the kids thought she was a "little crazy."
"But after I told them about the cause, they got excited and promised to read more," she said.
"I'm not interested in doing the least amount of work for this job," said Zaqem, who came to New York from her native Brazil roughly 20 years ago
"I'm interested in being a mentor and a role model. Ideally, I want to inspire kids to one day take part in charitable work, too."
Fans of Zaqem - who also organized a talent show and dance competition at the library - weren't surprised by her challenge.
"Sueli has been an asset to this community the second she stepped into his library," said Lorraine Smith, 55, of Queens Village, who brought grandkids Jasmin, 9, and Kaymari, 3, to watch Zaqem's mane come off.
"She is always encouraging kids to read and stressing how crucial it is to keep your mind active," Smith said.
A former model, Zaqem said she's happy with her new look, especially because she knows where her locks are going.
"I don't care that my hair's gone," she said. "I'm just happy knowing that I'm going to make a kid smile when they get this hair."
