Lubner, Susan

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Lubner, Susan

Personal

Married; children: Hannah, Julia. Hobbies and other interests: Bike riding, reading, spending time with family and friends.

Addresses

Home and office—Southboro, MA. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Author.

Member

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Awards, Honors

First place award, Byline magazine, for Ruthie Bon Bair; Mom's Choice Award, 2006, for both Noises at Night and Ruthie Bon Bair.

Writings

(With Beth Raisner Glass) Noises at Night, illustrated by Bruce Whatley, Harry N. Abrams (New York, NY), 2005.

Ruthie Bon Bair: Do Not Go to Bed with Wringing Wet Hair!, illustrated by Bruce Whatley, Harry N. Abrams (New York, NY), 2006.

A Horse's Tale, illustrated by Margie Moore, Harry N. Abrams (New York, NY), 2008.

Sidelights

Susan Lubner's first book for children, 2005's Noises at Night, was co-authored with Lubner's friend, Beth Raisner Glass. As she noted on her home page, Lubner's inspiration for writing comes from the things and the people around her. Her first solo picture book, Ruthie Bon Bair: Do Not Go to Bed with Wringing Wet Hair!, for instance, was inspired by her daughters.

A rhyming story, Ruthie Bon Bair tells the story of a young girl who always goes to bed with wet hair. One morning, Ruthie wakes to find that a garden of mushrooms, fern, and lilies has sprouted in her hair overnight. The story follows the girl as she tries to find a way to keep the garden from expanding into a jungle. Linda Ludke noted in School Library Journal that Ruthie Bon Bair is "propelled forward by jaunty, rhyming couplets," resulting in a "cautionary tale [that] makes a fun read-aloud."

With regard to her writing process, Lubner considers revision to be the most crucial aspect. As she wrote on her home page, "once I get a first version or first draft down on paper, I spend a lot of time reworking the story by moving things around, adding things to, or taking things out of the story."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2005, review of Noises at Night, p. 1080; September 15, 2006, review of Ruthie Bon Bair: Do Not Go to Bed with Wringing Wet Hair!, p. 960.

Publishers Weekly, August 1, 2005, review of Noises at Night, p. 64.

School Library Journal, November, 2006, Linda Ludke, review of Ruthie Bon Bair, p. 105.