June 2 – National Bubba Day

Happy Bubba Day!

If your name is Bubba, today is your day.  Bubba is the Yiddish word for grandmother.  Bubba is also a nickname for many men and boys, probably originating from the word brother. Hubba Bubba is also a bubble gum brand. So really there is more than one reason to celebrate Bubba Day.

Grab a stick and a great picture book!

Babushka’s Doll written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco (1995)

Natasha was spending the day with her Babushka. But Natasha didn’t want to wait for things while Babushka worked. She wanted her lunch now, and wants to play on the swing now. Natasha notices a doll on Babushka’s shelf. As she plays with the doll, it magically comes to life and is also very demanding and impatient. While Babushka is at the market, Natasha learns that it’s not easy taking care of the doll. When Babushka returns, she returns the doll to the shelf and they never play with her again.

Bubba the Cowboy Prince: A Fractured Texas Tale written by Helen Ketteman and illustrated by James Warlola (1997)

This Cinderella story has a Texas cowboy twist. Bubba is a ranch hand who is bossed around by his step-daddy and his stepbrothers Dwayne and Milton. When Miz Lurleen decided to throw a ball to find herself a husband, Bubba has to stay home. Bubba get a little Texas magic, in the form of a fairy godcow thunderbolt, and becomes a cowboy prince. Meanwhile at the hoedown, Miz Lurleen is bored with all the cowboys with a ‘ten dollar Setson on a five cent head’. The she notices Bubba who’s as ‘cute as a cow’s ear’.  Of course he wins Miz Lurleen’s heart, but right there in the middle of a do-so-do, the clock strikes midnight and Bubba was transformed back into his old dirty, smelly self. Bubba takes off in a hurry leaving one of his smelly cowboy boots behind. Miz Lurleen tracks him down the next day, all dirty and sweaty and wearing only one boot. While his wicked step-daddy and mean stepbrothers threw chicken fits, Bubba and Miz Lurleen rode off into the sunset and lived happily ever after. Just try reading this story without a cheesy cowboy accent!