Title: Stephanie's Ponytail
Author: Robert Munsch
Artist: Michael Martchenko
Genre: Humor / Bullying / Children's / Individuality
Year Published: 1996
Year Read: 1997 (Re Read: 2018)
Publisher: Annick Press Ltd.
Source: Purchased
Content Rating: Ages 5+ (Themes of Bullying)
Buy on: Amazon // Book Depository
Now, I have actually read “Stephanie’s Ponytail” many years ago when I was a child and I had
actually reviewed this book the first time around. But, now I wanted to reread this book to see
if my feelings about this book has changed.
It turns out, I felt the exact same way I did years ago (in other words,
it STILL was an AWESOME book to read), but I wanted to change up my review to be in
tuned with my recent book reviews!
One day, Stephanie decided to have a ponytail since
all the other kids were not wearing ponytails.
When Stephanie came to school, all the other kids teased her ponytail by
saying:
“UGLY,
UGLY, VERY UGLY!”
And Stephanie replied:
“IT’S
MY PONYTAIL AND I LIKE IT!”
The next day, Stephanie comes to school to see that
the other kids had copied her hairstyle by also wearing ponytails and this
makes Stephanie angry since she wanted to have a unique look for herself. So, the next day, Stephanie decided to wear
her ponytail sideways since that was a style that she thought that the other
kids would not possibly wear. Of course,
the other kids teased her about her hairstyle once again and then the next day,
the other kids started wearing their ponytails to the side just like
Stephanie. Each day Stephanie changes
her hairstyle to stand out from the other kids and each day, the other kids and
even some of the teachers continue to copy Stephanie’s hairstyle!
Will
the other students continue copying Stephanie’s hairstyle or will Stephanie
evenutally get back at them?
Read
this book to find out!
Wow! When I
started rereading this book, I thought that my opinions on this book would have
changed over the years (it has been nearly ten years since I last read this
book after all). But, lo and behold, I
was pleasantly surprised that my opinions have remained the same after all of
these years (in other words, OVERWHELMINGLY
POSITIVE)! Robert Munsch has created a unique way of tackling the subjects of
peer pressure and individuality through this story as Stephanie is shown
constantly trying to find a style that would make her unique, which is her
ponytail and standing up for her individuality when her classmates teased her
about her ponytail. This book also made
me questioned about why exactly Stephanie’s classmates teased Stephanie about
her ponytail each day and yet, they copy her ponytail style every time she
tries to change her hairstyle. I am
assuming it is because Stephanie’s classmates are jealous of Stephanie’s
individuality and they copy her to take away her individuality. Michael Martchenko’s artwork is
extremely humorous as he depicts each character in a cartoony style that is
reminiscent of the Sunday Paper comic strips.
Michael Martchenko’s artwork
of Stephanie is truly the highlight of the story as Stephanie is portrayed as a
cute little girl that constantly styles her ponytail in a different way in each
image and I loved the fact that she is shown wearing a 90s style type of clothing
as it shows the audience how people used to dress like during the 90s (which is
the very decade that I grew up in)!
Parents should know that Stephanie is shown to be a
bit rude at some points of the story (which was a problem I had when I read
this book the first time). Now, do not
get me wrong, I understand how frustrated Stephanie is because she wanted to
have a style that makes her unique, but her classmates keep on copying her
styles, therefore taking away her individuality. If I was Stephanie, I would be upset too since
I also pride myself on being unique and I would be annoyed too if people copy
my styles just to poke fun at me. However, I do think that it was a bit rude for
Stephanie to call her classmates “a bunch of brainless copycats,” even though
they were purposely copying her styles, while still making fun of her. I personally think that Stephanie could have
handled the situation much better than resort to calling her classmates names.
Overall, “Stephanie’s
Ponytail” is a truly hilarious story about embracing your individuality in
the most creative way possible and I am sure that many children will enjoy this
book for many years to come! I would
recommend this book to children ages five and up due to the bullying themes possibly
upsetting smaller children.
* 1999 Grand Canyon Reader Award for Picture Book
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