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Summary
Summary
It is washday. "Are you ready for work, Lizzie girl?" Grandma asks. "I am," Lizzie replies. It's hard for her to set aside her plans for a tea party, but she rolls up her sleeves. Together Lizzie and Grandma haul the steaming washtub to the workbench and shave lye soap into the boiling water. They rub, rub, rub the clothes over the washboard, pull them through the wringer, and hang them out to dry. In the end, the satisfaction of a job well done, an unexpected guest, and a loving gesture make Lizzie's washday just about perfect.
Author Notes
Eve Bunting was born in 1928 in Maghera, Ireland, as Anne Evelyn Bunting. She graduated from Northern Ireland's Methodist College in Belfast in 1945 and then studied at Belfast's Queen's College. She emigrated with her family in 1958 to California, and became a naturalized citizen in 1969.
That same year, she began her writing career, and in 1972, her first book, "The Two Giants" was published. In 1976, "One More Flight" won the Golden Kite Medal, and in 1978, "Ghost of Summer" won the Southern California's Council on Literature for Children and Young People's Award for fiction. "Smokey Night" won the American Library Association's Randolph Caldecott Medal in 1995 and "Winter's Coming" was voted one of the 10 Best Books of 1977 by the New York Times.
Bunting is involved in many writer's organizations such as P.E.N., The Authors Guild, the California Writer's Guild and the Society of Children's Book Writers. She has published stories in both Cricket, and Jack and Jill Magazines, and has written over 150 books in various genres such as children's books, contemporary, historic and realistic fiction, poetry, nonfiction and humor.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-Laundry in 1889 was a laborious chore, and so, begrudgingly, Lizzie resigns herself to set aside plans for a tea party with her best friend and their ragdolls to help her grandma with the washing. When Lizzie arrives, the water is already boiling in the copper kettle. Together Lizzie and grandma begin the task at hand. Lye soap is shaved; clothes are scrubbed on the washboard, rinsed and pulled through the wringer, then hung on the clothesline to dance in the breeze. A well-deserved break with a glass of buttermilk is followed by surprise visitors and an unexpected tea party. Bunting's beautiful story provides glimpses of responsibilities, selflessness, and the bonding effects of teamwork. Narrator Elizabeth Cottle is fabulous, especially as a slightly raspy grandma. -VERDICT This sweet snapshot of simpler (though not easier!) times will be enjoyed by all.-Cheryl -Preisendorfer, Twinsburg City Schools, OH © Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Lizzie's mother is about to have a baby, so Lizzie must help her grandma with the wash; the feeling of a job well done and a surprise visitor make the day-long, arduous production worth it. Though they stumble with figures and faces, the pencil and watercolor illustrations aptly evoke the 1889 setting. Plenty of old-fashioned, pioneer-life details are woven into the text. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
It's washday. That doesn't mean putting clothes in the washing machine and turning the knob or driving to the laundromat; it's 1889, when it's the old-fashioned way of getting clothes clean. Lizzie and her doll, Amelia Cordelia, walk to her grandmother's house to help because her Ma is soon to have a baby. The work is hard: boiling water in a big copper kettle; adding shavings of lye soap; sorting the clothes by color (whites for Sunday "go-to-meeting" clothes); using the broom handle to lift the hot clothing into rinse water; putting them through the wringer; and drying them on the outdoor clothesline. Taking a break with a glass of buttermilk, Lizzie is sad thinking about the doll tea party she was supposed to have with her friend that day. Surprise! Grandma has set the table for a tea party with special dishes and doll-size snickerdoodles and places for her best friend and her doll. Bunting evokes a homespun experience with emotions and details that the pencil-and-watercolor illustrations adroitly augment. Sneed neither whitewashes nor prettifies the harshness of the time; Grandma is a robust woman with hair in a bun and a big nose. Historical details like hairstyles and sturdy black shoes combine with phrases like "Grandma's doghas the misery in his back" to make the story feel genuine. An appealing snapshot of rough-hewn life that might well make kids appreciate washing machines. (Picture book. 5-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The title page of this charming historical picture book features an image of a monthly calendar with a single date circled, April 20, 1889: Washday. Are you ready for work, Lizzie girl?' Grandma asks me. Lizzie is, even though she and her doll are disappointed that their plans for a tea party have been canceled. Lizzie is helping instead of her ma, who is home expecting a new baby. Two strong women,' Grandma says. Indeed! Lizzie's homey narration not only reveals the depth of family bonds and what it means to work together, but it also walks young readers through the labor-intensive process of doing laundry in days of yore. Children will be fascinated to find the instructions that inspired the story replicated on the back cover. Graceful pencil and watercolor illustrations include historically accurate details while the soft palette captures the warmth and love between the two workers. Lizzie's efforts are rewarded when Grandma surprises her with a real grown-up doll tea party. Youngsters will savor this best with pearl tea and a snickerdoodle.--McDermott, Jeanne Copyright 2014 Booklist
