About the Book
Suzie Bitner Was Afraid of the Drain is a children’s poetry collection comprised of 124 poems and over 100 illustrations. Written by Barbara Vance, the book is filled with humorous and whimsical poems that take you to a world where mice wear roller-skates, a girl turns into a peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich, and a baseball embarks on an unexpected trip. Designed to entertain and educate, “Suzie” intersperses challenging and fun words like “salubrious” and “discourse” throughout its poems (and offers a special dictionary just for kids…check out the resources!).
Lauded for its unique, minimalist illustrations and creative typography, the book is a Moonbeam Children’s Book winner, an Indie Book Award winner, and was twice a finalist for the Bluebonnet Award.

The Suzie Story

Several years ago, Barbara was sitting at her desk with a rather large (no, a very large) pile of papers that she did not care to have very much to do with. From this hiccup in the workday came a poem about a little girl named Suzie with a prickly problem. The words and ideas kept coming until her poems filled up pages and pages and finally a book! Suzie Bitner Was Afraid of the Drain is about celebrating life, smiling, and finding the beauty (and the humour) in the world.
Book Details
Price & Availability
- $17.95
Wholesalers
- Follett Library Resources
- Baker & Taylor
- Brodart
Selected Retailers
- Amazon.com
- Barnes and Noble
- Books-A-Million
- Powell’s
- Walmart
Publisher
Book Construction
- Easy-to-hold book size: 8.75” x 6.75” x 1”
- Hardcover
- Smythe-sewn binding for maximum durability and ease of laying open on the lap
- Thick, bright paper
- Cover printed on actual book as well as on dust jacket
- 192 pages
Book Highlights
- Creative typography shows children how words can be art
- Poems incorporate challenging words that improve vocabulary
- Subject matter combines humor and whimsy
- Addresses real-life issues like sharing, as well as fantastic subjects like mice on roller skates
- Great for ages 5-10, but appreciated by all ages
- Over 100 fun illustrations that enhance the poems
- Indexes by title and first line