Stephanie’s Ponytail by Robert Munsch

What I love the most about Robert Munsch is his ability to take something so simple and turn it into something outrageous.

Stephanie’s Ponytail is one such book. Stephanie asks her mum for a ponytail, just a plain ponytail coming out the back. But when she gets to school, the other kids say her ponytail is ugly – ugly, ugly, ugly. But Stephanie is such a strong character and she doesn’t care about the kids’ teasing. The next day all the other kids have a ponytail coming out the back.

Stephanie calls them all copycats and decided she will be different and asks her mum for a ponytail coming out the side of her head. Again, the kids say it’s ugly – ugly, ugly, ugly. But the next day they are all wearing their hair that way.

To be different, Stephanie wears her ponytail in a different place each day, and gets very annoyed when everyone else in the school, including the teachers are copying her. So she comes up with a plan.

Stephanie is one of my favourite Munsch characters. I love her individuality and the fact that she sets the trends, and doesn’t care if other’s tease her, because she is so confident in herself, even with a ponytail coming right out the front and over her eyes.

Another thing to enjoy about this book is Martchenko’s style behind the text. He’s a master illustrator at working his own humour behind Munsch’s outrageous text. See if you can spot the teacher who tries to be cool, but is always a day behind the trends.

Stephanies Ponytail by Robert Munsch
Illustrated by Michael Martchenko
Annick Press, 1996