Lori Ries

Page by Page -Review by Kat

Brown and curly, blue and fluffy, green and long... these are just a few of the many wigs that the two main characters, (mother and son), of Punk Wig try on as they search for the perfect fit for "mom."

This book, written by Lori Ries and illustrated by Erin Eitter Kono, was one that I truly feel will go far! It is a very new release (2008) and is unlike any book that I have read before. The story line is one that reaches out to children who have a parent with cancer and is undergoing treatment. The mother in this book loses her hair due to the the medicine that is "zapping the alien blobs" in her head. This is what leads her and her son to take a trip to "Harriett's Hair." In the end they find the perfect wig!

I loved this book for many reasons! As a writer, I can personally say that is very hard to write about tough topics for kids. However, Ries nailed it! She uses terms that children will easily be able to relate to and understand, inserting fun in all the right places and bringing light onto a very dark and scary situation.

Furthermore, I can look on the subject through the eyes of my 12-year-old self because that is when my mother lost her hair from the Chemo treatments for breast cancer. To have had a book like this when this was going on, or to have this book available to read to my little brothers, would have been extremely nice as it truly portrays everything in the right light.

Overall, I feel this book is an amazing addition to children's literature and will help many in the years to come. Punk Wig is touching and simply phenomenal - - a must for families balancing life with children and the burden of cancer.

PUNK WIG - Kirkus Reviews - 12/15/07

A serious illness is given a lighthearted and encouraging treatment as a young boy relates how his mother is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.
"She's going to the hospital to get the alien blobs zapped with medicine."
Back home, he brings his sick mom a lunch tray with peanut butter and jelly and his favorite gorilla cup. When her hair starts to fall out, she announces that it's wig day. At Harriet's Hair, they both try on silly wigs and his mom chooses a long orange, spiky wig that she calls, "My Punk Wig."
At the grocery store, everyone stares at his mom, wearing jeans and a black-leather jacket and sporting Punk Wig. During the winter they put Punk Wig on their snowman. By spring, mom's test results are good and she surprises the boy by giving him Punk Wig. Kono's watercolor illustrations convey a blithe touch and reflect the warm relationship between mom and son. This positive and upbeat approach to coping with cancer will be a welcome addition—younger than, but complimentary to Patricia Polacco's The Lemonade Club (2007). (Picture book. 5-8)


From Strand Bookstore, NY:

In this tender tale of love and healing, the difficult subject of cancer is dealt with in an honest and straight-forward manner. When a young boy's mom has to go to the hospital to have "alien blobs" zapped with medicine. While the treatment helps, it also makes her lose her hair. One day, the important task of finding a wig comes, and mom and son head to Harriett's Hair to find the perfect one. With humor and love, the perfect wig is found, though a lot of funny ones are tried on! Mom has the perfect wig to go with her jeans and leather jacket, a wig to make her feel good again. This lovely story of love through hardship will lift you up. (Ages 4-8).

PUNK WIG - Library Media Connection - April/May 2008

Dealing with cancer is not easy for any family, but this book is one resource to help a child cope with a parent's illness. The young boy's mother has "alien blobs" inside her, and the medicine that will "zap" them makes Mother ill and causes her hair to fall out. Mother and son go wig shopping and have fun trying on wigs. Mother picks out an orange wig, spiky on the top. As Mother continues to face chemotherapy, the brightly colored wig helps them keep their sense of humor. The day comes when the doctor's report shows her as cancer-free, and since her hair is growing back, she gives the punk wig to the young boy. The story handles a tough subject with sensitivity, grace, and a sense of fun. It covers some of the issues facing families without giving too much information that might overwhelm a young child, and provides a good introduction to a hard subject. The watercolor pictures fit well with the text, portraying both the mother's treatment and her fun with the family. Recommended. Betsy Ruffin, Irving Elementary, Clebume, Texas

PUNK WIG - School Library Journal - April 2008

“My Mom’s got alien blobs inside her. They’re called cancer.” The bright, bouncing voice of the young narrator takes readers through his mother’s cancer year, from her first chemotherapy treatment to the day her hair comes back and “all the alien blobs have gone away.” A parent’s sudden transformation in appearance can be a very big issue to children; it’s not surprising that the focus in this book is on Mom’s hair loss and the wacky wig that she and her son pick out to hide it. Quick moving, positive, and funny at times, this story might well serve to introduce a child to the impending treatment. The expressionistic illustrations are also sprightly but do depict a hospital scene, Mom hooked up to a chemo port, and a tired woman on the couch. Children wondering why a classmate’s mother is sick or showing up at school bald and suddenly skinny might also find this book reassuring. Noticeably absent is any mention of the fears and tears that the grown-ups face and that children usually pick up on. All is neatly resolved in the end when the doctor says Mom is cured and her son gets to keep the wonderful, wacky Punk Wig.–Carolyn Lehman, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA

Booklist :

"Narrated by a little boy whose mother has cancer, or what he calls "alien blobs inside her," Punk Wig features a family who gets through a tough time with flying colors. The color in this case is bright orange, the color of Mom's, which has spikes on top that look like candle flames. Ries tells the story with a light touch, leavening a scary subject with comic relief (mother and son trying on funny hairpieces before they decide upon Punk Wig). She also focuses on the simple, valuable act of being together and talking as the child pushes Mom on the swing, picks out a pumpkin as orange as Punk Wig, and puts the wig on a snowman mother and child have made. In the spring, Mom gets the results of her tests and offers her son a wonderful punk wig, which he proudly sports on the last page. The appealing watercolors, set mostly against white backdrops, zero in on the people in the story, allowing children to see both a little bit of the mother's struggle and the happiness and love the mother and child share. -Abby Nolan"

ForeWord Magazine:

In Punk Wig (Boyds Mills Press, 978-1-59078-486-0), a boy cares for his mother as she struggles through the chemotherapy that chases cancerous “alien blobs” from her body. Insight and humor highlight how warmly children can respond to illness: “I …give her the gorilla cup that was mine when I was little.” When Mom feels better, the narrator accompanies her to Harriet’s Hair, a wig shop, where together they affirm her new lease on life. The author, Lori Ries, won a Parenting Magazine award for Mrs. Fickle’s Pickles. Watercolorist Erin Eitter Kono contributes light-hearted pictures that show how hard mother and son both work to demonstrate their love.

Goddess of LA Literature:

"There is absolutely no rhyme or reason when I make a stack of picture books. However, PUNK FARM and PUNK WIG ended up together for some weird twist. I opened PUNK WIG and discovered a gem of a story about a young boy whose mother is on her way to the hospital to have alien blobs zapped with medicine. Mom, it turns out, has cancer. Since her hair will fall out, she visits a wig shop and selects a bright orange wig that is spiky. Her son loves the new look and is thrilled when Mom passes it along to him once her own hair begins to grow back.

There are too few books to share with kids whose parents or another loved one (or a teacher) is undergoing treatment for cancer. I know because one of my former students and I searched for some in the last year as she underwent treatment for breast cancer (and is now in remission, YAY!). Add this one to HAIR FOR MAMA to a short but useful list.