Stephanie's Ponytail

Stephanie's Ponytail

By: Robert Munsch

Illustrated by: Michael Martchenko

Grades: K-3

Stephanie decided that she wants to be different then anyone else.  She noticed that no one had a ponytail so she had her mom put her hair in a ponytail.  When she went to school everyone made fun of her but the next day they all wore a ponytail.  Because of this, Stephanie changed her hairstyle again.  This process repeated until Stephanie got so fed up she told the other students that she was going to shave her head the next day.  Everyone came in with shaved heads and Stephanie came in with a ponytail. 

About the Author:

Robert Munsch has been a goof his entire life.  He almost did not pass most grades in elementary school but did write poetry just for fun.  In high school he did not get along with most people and decided to become a priest.  He studied seven years to be a Jesuit priest before he figured out it was not for him.  Munsch ended up deciding he wanted to teach and attended Elliot Pearson School of Child Studies at Tufts University in Medford, Mass.  Through this experience, he was placed to student teach at Wellsley College Child Studies Preschool where he wrote his first story.  While teaching, Munsch came up with a variety of stories but never wrote them down until his wife pushed him to write them down and send them into a publisher.  Munsch then quit his job so that he could keep writing and travel all around to tell his stories.

Theme: Children will learn to be themselves when they see that copying someone else could put them in a sticky situation.

Pre-Reading Activities:

Ask students: Has someone you known done anything that you liked and wanted to do? Have you done what they did? Has someone done something that you have done? How did this make you feel?

Have a group discussion and have students contribute saying what they believe is something special about them. 

Post Reading Activities:
Ask Students: Did you like the book? How do you think Stephanie felt when everyone copied her hair style? How do you think everyone else felt when they shaved their head and everyone else did not?
Have a conversation with the students so that they can learn about what it feels like to be copied and that you should do something because you want to not because someone else is doing it.