..Susan Lubner..
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Inspiration for Children's Book

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.

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!" This gave me the idea for Ruthie Bon Bair.

Ruthie Bon Blair: Do Not Go To Bed With Wringing Wet Hair! is a story about a girl 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.

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 it 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 Books for Young Readers was going to publish my first picture book Noises at Night, co-written by Beth Glass and Illustrated by Bruce Whatley. 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.

Ruthie Bon Bair: Do Not Go To Bed With Wringing Wet Hair is available now at bookstores everywhere and amazon.com.