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4th out of 72 books
—
78 voters
Laundry Day
by
Maurie J. Manning (Goodreads Author)
In a picture book that blends realism and fantasy, a shoeshine boy is surprised when a piece of red silk falls from the sky. Trying to find its owner, he ventures up and down fire escapes, back and forth across clotheslines, and into the company of the colorfully diverse people who live in the tenement. Lively pages laid out in multiple panels, with a few words of text in...more
Hardcover, 40 pages
Published
April 17th 2012
by Clarion Books
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I couldn't help but smile as I read this charming (fictional) story of a young shoeshine boy in early 1900s New York City who is distracted from his not-so-booming business by a bright red scarf that flutters down to him. The boy looks up to see laundry lines webbed across the apartment buildings above him; him kindly resolves to find the owner and, along with his (very cute) orange cat companion, climbs up and onto balconies to check. What follows is a none-too-subtle multicultural extravaganza...more
7 likes · like · see review
view all 5 comments
This picture book opens with a warm, busy double-paged spread of a New York street set in, I would guess, the early years on the 20th century. Horse-drawn delivery carts and market stalls fill the street, which is flanked by tall tenement buildings. Our young protagonist, a shoe-shine lad and his ginger cat, is emphasized simply by the artist creating a little more space around them than the other New Yorkers.
The shoe shine trade is slow this day, and the lad spots a pigeon overhead with a strip...more
The shoe shine trade is slow this day, and the lad spots a pigeon overhead with a strip...more
The streets of turn-of-the-century New York City can be cold, lonely, and boring for a young shoeshine boy and his cat. When a red piece of cloth floats down from the sky, he decides to find its owner. As he makes his way from one apartment to the next, standing on boxes, shimmying up drainpipoes, using the fire escape, and crossing the clotheslines, he encounters several neighbors from different countries, all of whom are friendly and send him on to someone else. Some of them even offer him foo...more
I liked this story of a shoeshine boy in New York City when it was full of carts and horses. The tenements are crowded with people from many countries and cultures. He can't find anyone who wants a shine. Suddenly, a red scarf drifts down from above, and the shoeshine boy searches high and low to find where it came from. He meets an old Chinese woman, a Russian mother, an Italian organ grinder, Polish girls, a rabbi, and finally idenitifies the Jamaican woman whose headscarf it is. He climbs bac...more
When a young shoeshine boy and his cat decide to reunite a beautiful red cloth with its owner, they unknowingly embark on an adventure that promises to ease his loneliness.Who would have thought this simple piece of cloth could be so versatile? It becomes an apron, a blanket, a zipline, a food procurement device, a headscarf, and a marketing tool. This is a testament to the imaginations of children as well as the multitude of ideas that come with a diverse population.
The urban adventure of this...more
The urban adventure of this...more
At the turn of the century, a piece of red silk comes from the sky to shoeshine boy in New York. He goes around his neighborhood trying to find the rightful owner of the scarf, and he encounters people from all around the globe who immigrated to the Unites States. Finally, he runs into Miss Fajah, who tells him that the cloth is hear headscarf. The story ends with the boy receiving the scarf as a gift the same manner he found it the first time.
Laundry Day gives an example of ‘doing the right...more
Laundry Day gives an example of ‘doing the right...more
A little shoe shining boy who doesn't get much business finds a bit of red cloth that has fallen down from the laundry hanging to dry between two big buildings. He stops what he is doing and takes the time to climb up and ask various families if they have lost the red cloth when they hung their clothes out for laundry day. Each responds no, even though the cloth is very nice. When the boy gets to the top of the building he finds out who it belongs to. Then readers get the surprise of discovering...more
When a little shoe-shine boy finds a red scarf, he tries to return it to its' owner, climbing higher and higher up the fire escape of an apartment building in his search. On his way he meets immigrants from all over the world, and receives a friendly "hello" from each. Manning's use of graphic novel panels perfectly captures the movement of her busy story while dynamic angles allow readers to take in every aspect of the overwhelming city. Young reader's will be charmed by Manning's characters wh...more
A shoe shine boy finds a scarf and tries to return it to his owner. In his search, he works his way up the balconies of a New York tenement building, asking and helping the residents as he goes. He encounters a variety of ethnicities and possible uses for the scarf before he finally finds its owner. A glossary of the foreign language words is included on the endpapers. Very clever illustrations, striking use of the color red, varied perspectives add much drama as the boy climbs, tightrope walks,...more
A young shoe shine wonders the street of a busy city looking for customers. A red cloth falls from the sky. The shoe shine boy looks up at the laundry above him and starts to climb. He asks everyone he meets if the red cloth belongs to them. No no claims it but they keep sending him higher and higher on the buildings. Finally on the roof he meets the owner of the cloth and she thanks him and sends him on his way. But as he reaches the ground the cloth floats down to him again. I like the way thi...more
In the beginning of Laundry Day, a young shoeshine boy is having trouble finding any shoes to shine, when a big red scarf (or is it a blanket?) floats down to him. Immediately he goes from apartment balcony to apartment balcony (tightrope-walking on the clotheslines as he goes), asking people of various ethnicities (Chinese, Jamaican, Polish, etc.) if the scarf belongs to them. Each person uses one foreign word or phrase in their interaction with him, which is then defined in a glossary in the b...more
Laundry Day: A shoeshine boy in early 20th century NYC goes on an adventure to find the owner of a lost red scarf. He encounters immigrants from all over the world as he hops from fire escape to clothesline. The illustrations are engaging and have few visual gags. The foreign phrases gives this book an extra boost, and could probably be used as a title for the Social Studies Common Core Standard. But I am confused as to what category this book falls into. Is it a picture book or is it a graphic...more
A young boy finds a long red cloth and sets out to discover which neighbor it belongs to. He climbs up the fire escape, asking his multi-cultural neighbors if they know about the red cloth. They give him a variety of delicious treats and suggest he check with the other neighbors. A sweet and fun introduction to neighbors from all over the world, with a lovely graphic novel form.
Recommended as a good introduction to graphic novels for students in grades 1 - 2. Also a good text to use with lower...more
Recommended as a good introduction to graphic novels for students in grades 1 - 2. Also a good text to use with lower...more
A young shoeshine boy wanders through the bustling streets of turn-of-the-century New York City. Disheartened when no one wants a shine, the little boy slumps down on the sidewalk. A piece of red cloth floats down from the sky landing on his shoulders immediately lifting his spirits as well as his curiosity. Peering up at the many lines of laundry strung between the buildings he decides to go in search of the owner of the beautiful red fabric. As he climbs the fire-escapes he asks all he encount...more
A young boy tries to sell shoe shines on the streets of New York City in a time before cars, when the streets are crowded with horses and carts. Suddenly, a red cloth drifts down from above. The boy looks up to see rows and rows of laundry drying above the street, so he starts to climb with the red cloth around his neck and his small cat following behind. As he searches for the owner, he meets people from all over the world. There is the Chinese woman who offers him a mooncake after he helps fol...more
Oct 30, 2012
Lisa Vegan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
all observant children; all readers who enjoy historical fiction stories, friendship stories
Recommended to Lisa by:
Kathryn
I loved this one.
I illustrations are wonderful, so intricate with so much to view, and they do much of the job of telling the story. I loved their many details.
I enjoyed all the different people the young boy meets. It really shows the melting pot of NYC in earlier times. I particularly appreciated how here a good deed does get rewarded.
I found this story uplifting and interesting, and its vibrant pictures really make it. The humor is wonderful. I was especially amused by the young sisters and...more
I illustrations are wonderful, so intricate with so much to view, and they do much of the job of telling the story. I loved their many details.
I enjoyed all the different people the young boy meets. It really shows the melting pot of NYC in earlier times. I particularly appreciated how here a good deed does get rewarded.
I found this story uplifting and interesting, and its vibrant pictures really make it. The humor is wonderful. I was especially amused by the young sisters and...more
5 likes · like · see review
This was a beautiful story about a little shoe-shone boy who finds a red cloth that fell down from somewhere in the high up laundry lines. He scales the building until he finds the owner, an immigrant woman who wears it as a headscarf. We meet people who immigrated from different places on the way up. As a thank you, she lets another cloth fall down and he keeps it as a scarf. I liked the colorful, full-page cartoon style illustrations, but I wasn't entirely sure about the message.
This picture book is very similar to a graphic novel, and there's a lot that's told without words. A shoeshine boy finds a red scarf that has fallen from someone's clothesline and seeks to bring it back to its owner. In the process, he visits several people from different ethnic backgrounds who imagine different uses for the scarf in different languages. There's a touching ending, as well, that left me with a lump in my throat.
May 08, 2013
Dolly
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
parents reading with their children
Shelves:
2013,
childrens,
china-chinese,
caribbean,
historical-fiction,
jewish-israel,
pets,
italy,
ireland-irish,
other-usa,
poland,
russia,
ukraine
This is an entertaining tale that takes us upward in the streets of New York City in the early 1900s. The story is framed by the different ethnic and racial backgrounds of the neighbors the little boy encounters. We enjoyed playing detective and figuring out each's heritage based on the clues.
I suppose that criticism can be leveled against the stereotypical characterizations, but I considered them more as honoring the cultural identity of each nation and a commentary as to the melting pot type...more
I suppose that criticism can be leveled against the stereotypical characterizations, but I considered them more as honoring the cultural identity of each nation and a commentary as to the melting pot type...more
Jul 29, 2012
Sandy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
adventure,
communities,
graphic-story,
historical-fiction,
humor,
multi-cultural,
pb-fiction
This nearly wordless story combines graphic format with traditional illustration, richly detailed and intertwined images, a thoughtful but daring boy, a curious cat companion, and splashes of many languages and ethnic expressions in a simple story that works for any age. The urban setting and situation provide insights to launch historical fiction for the turn of the 19th/20th century, urban.
A shoeshine boy, on a slow day, discovers a piece of red cloth that has fallen from the sky. As he looks up, he sees that it is laundry day. He then goes on a quest to determine who the cloth belongs to. In his melting pot neighborhood, he is welcomed in by many, and guided to the next stop. A very enjoyable read with pleasing illustrations.
The streets are alive in busy New York as a young shoe shine boys tries to find the rightful owner of a red scarf that has floated into his path. During his travels up the drainpipe and across fire escapes we meet the diverse people who make up his neighborhood. Nice book dealing with diversity AND doing the right thing. P.K.
I liked the layout and the inclusion of the different cultures of the big city. The story of doing what's right might be missed however I have faith in the subtleness of the sorry to sink in.
It wasn't what the little boy could profit from, but ensuring that he finds the scarf's proper owner. A worthy read and purchase.
It wasn't what the little boy could profit from, but ensuring that he finds the scarf's proper owner. A worthy read and purchase.
A young boy finds a cloth that has floated down from above a busy street in an immigrant neighborhood in I'm guessing the early 1900s New York City. Using the fire escape, he travels from neighbor to neighbor to reunite the cloth with it's owner. The story is told in panel styles with speech bubbles, and is filled with a handful of foreign words that are explained in a brief glossary at the back. Terrific illustrations really create a great setting and Manning does amazing perspective drawings t...more
A great story in comic book style; looks like it is set in early 1900s in a big city like New York. The illustrator executed the pictures in digital pencil, watercolor, and pastels; plus she used some interesting perspectives. Also excellent for those "multicultural" assignments.
Sep 23, 2012
Paula
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
friendship,
america,
city-life,
repetition,
history,
neighbour,
language,
clothing,
pre-school
A shoeshine boy finds a red scarf that flew to him from above. Trying to find out who it belongs to he meets people from different backgrounds speaking a different kind of English. It's set up in comic book style which could make it a great book for a reluctant reader
A shoeshine boy finds a red cloth floating through the air on a windy day and sets off to find its rightful owner. He encounters a variety of people in different situations as shown through panels of illustrations with just a little conversational text.
The illustrations are wonderful in this book about a little boy who finds a a scarf and his efforts to return it to whoever lost it. This would be a fun read-aloud book because of all the various dialects that come into play in the neighborhood.
A young shoeshine boy finds a length of red cloth. He climbs up a tenement in search of its owner. In his travels he meets people from different cultures. A nice little story about neighborliness and multiculturalism.
No one ever told this shoeshine boy not to climb the walls... and who would have guessed that he makes it to the roof and achieves success in his small business because he did what he knew in his heart was right.
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