Ruthie Bon Bair:
Do Not Go To Bed With Wringing Wet Hair!
In the middle of winter
in a tucked away town,
Where the snow never
seemed to stop coming down,
In a mountain-sized house
the color of sky,
Lived a girl with thick hair
that took too long to dry.
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Ruthie Bon Bair: Do Not Go To Bed With Wringing Wet Hair! is a story about Ruthie who doesn’t like to dry her hair after she takes a bath. Instead, much to her mother's dismay, she goes to bed with a wet head! One morning she wakes up and finds that there are all sorts of plants growing out of her scalp!I have two daughters and they were both the inspiration for this story. Neither of them ever wanted to dry their hair after they washed it! Drying their hair takes a long time, especially for my oldest daughter because her hair is so thick and heavy. Often at night when I would kiss their wet heads goodnight I’d say "Your hair is so wet! I hope it’s not moldy in the morning!" or "Boy I hope there isn’t a frog in there!" Frogs and mold like wet places. I was just teasing of course, but it did give me the idea to write about Ruthie.
 When I finished writing the story, I submitted it to Byline Magazine a magazine for writers. They were having a contest for the best children’s story. I was so happy to find out a few months later that Ruthie Bon Bair: Do Not Go To Bed With Wringing Wet Hair had won First Place! The day I found out that Ruthie had won first place in that writing contest, I also found out that Abrams was going to publish my first picture book (Noises at Night). Two really exciting things on the same day! It was a very good day for me! Several months after all this, more good news… Abrams wanted to publish my Ruthie story! I was so happy to learn that Bruce Whatley would be illustrating this book too. |
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| Read the Reviews |
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Just for Mom's Foundation
"Mom's Choice Award 2007"
www.momschoiceawards.com
The Reading Tub
Ruthie Bon Bair: Do Not Go to Bed with Wringing Wet Hair! by Susan Lubner Illus. by Bruce Whatley is a must have for your child's library, even if they don't squawk about drying their hair…laughed through the first reading and roared through the second… We'll be reading this a lot, no doubt. P-E-R-F-E-C-T for sharing out loud!
www.thereadingtub.com - April 2007
A Square Book Junior pick of the month!
“Special books that we feel should be bestsellers…”
School Library Journal
LUBNER, Susan. Ruthie Bon Bair, Do Not Go to Bed with Wringing Wet Hair! illus. by Bruce Whatley. unpaged. CIP. Abrams. 2006. RTE $15.95. ISBN 0-8109-5470-2. LC 2005011777.
PreS-Gr 3 – After taking a bath, a little girl refuses to dry her thick, tangled tresses. In the morning, she is shocked to discover a “grove of white mushrooms sprung up from her crown!” As Ruthie continues to ignore her mother’s advice, she has even more distressing bad hair days. Her damp head is fertile ground for moss, ferns, and water lilies. The doctor, gardener, and hairdresser are all stumped. Relief comes when Ruthie plunges headfirst into a snowbank and deep-freezes the vegetation. Her lesson learned, a new problem emerges: “An over-dried scalp plagued Ruthie Bon Bair.../Now a flowering cactus poked through her hair!” Children will giggle at Whatley’s illustrations of the assorted sprouting flora. Propelled forward by jaunty, rhyming couplets, this campy cautionary tale makes a fun read-aloud.
– Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada
Publishers Weekly
Fall’s silly superlatives: By Sally Lodge
“As always, we kept our eyes peeled when compiling these listings, looking for those books that were most likely to elicit a chuckle for one reason or another. Here in the spirit of fun, are some that caught our attention.”
Wisest Advice for youngsters plagued by Bad Hair Days: Ruthie Bon Bair: Do Not Go to Bed with Wringing Wet Hair! by Susan Lubner Illus. by Bruce Whatley
Worcester Telegram and Gazette
“Susan Lubner of Southboro has written another charming children’s book, “Ruthie Bon Bair Do Not Go to Bed with Wringing Wet Hair” ... Mr. Whatley draws a bemused Ruthie, who boasts a head of thick red curls. She refuses to dry her wet hair before going to bed, despite her mother’s protestations. Flowers and greenery start to sprout from her scalp. Mushrooms, ferns and moss soon pop up. No one — not a doctor, nurse, hairdresser or gardener — can solve the ever-growing problem. Only the snow and cold weather kill the vegetation. Ruthie, it seems, has learned a very good lesson.”
– Pamela Sachs
Byline Magazine
First Place Winner Children’s Picture Book contest
Barnes and Noble
"Manager's Pick"
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