The Man Who Didn't Wash His Dishes

by Phyllis Krasilovsky, Barbara Cooney

Stacks of dirty dishes presented a problem for the little man, but one day he found a solution and learned an important lesson

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Humor, Classics

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1950

About the author

Best known for her picture books, although also the author of two young adult novels and numerous magazine and newspaper articles, some of them humorous. Krasilovsky's first two books were accepted for publication when she was nineteen and newly married. Both of them were written in response to real children. The Very Little Girl (1953) was originally a birthday card for her sister's child, and The Man Who Didn't Wash His Dishes (1950), a humorous cautionary tale illustrated by Barbara Cooney, was written for her husband's five- year-old cousin who was dying of leukemia. The Cow Who Fell in the Canal (1957), illustrated by Peter Spier, was inspired by an incident observed while bicycling through Holland. Other books were inspired by her four children and memories of her own childhood. She wrote four more Man books, and finally one about The Woman Who Saved Things (1993). One of Krasilovsky's favorite books was The Shy Little Girl (1970), based on one of her own daughters, and sensitively illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. Her two young adult novels, The Popular Girls Club (1972) and L.C. Is the Greatest (1975), were based on her own experiences growing up in Brooklyn.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/phyllis-...

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a simple and nonsensical story about a man who lives alone and doesn't wash up his dishes after supper. The next night the prospect is even worse, so he puts it off and uses all his crockery and then finds other things to eat off. When he runs out of everything he takes them out in the rain to wash them clean. The man learns the valuable lesson that putting off a chore just makes things worse. From then on he washes up every night.

I love Barbara Cooney's artwork and these are lovely, black and white with orange and olive green. The illustrations depict some wonderful scenes of interiors and kitchen ware of the period and they have an extremely cute little cat in them.

Read on open library.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about a man that suddenly stops washing his dishes and the comical repercussions of that decision. Cute illustrations and a story that strongly portrays a good lesson.

Content Considerations: mentions ash trays.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my 8 year old and we both laughed at the man's creative use of flower pots and such for dishes. We loved the illustrations of the man's kitty cat slinking about on each page.plus it is a fun lesson on how much more work it is to put off chores!

[Laura Morrigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nowadays, there are a lot of beautiful picture books out there, but I still appreciate the charm of the simple monochrome and duochrome picture books of my childhood. This was a simple, charmingly illustrated little story of a man who went to great lengths to never have to wash his dishes. How funny that, years later, as an adult, I still hate washing dishes!

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Living on my own for the first time in my adult life with a roommate and still pretending were teenagers while both working full time means doing dishes is often a battle and a real core... I found myself thinking about this book quite often and having a good laugh at ourselves... even now this book has touched my life. :D

[Tiuri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice warning to us all, lol.

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3* art
3* story

Another one that's really too old for Squirt right now - but he liked it. I pointed out the cat in each picture, and he seemed interested. Very fun idea - who hasn't wished they could quit washing up?!!

[Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

there’s a really great lesson in this for us all

[Wren · Rating 3 out of 5]

a cautionary tale…

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and funny, for a book that finds a man who cooks and cleans for himself a novelty.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beloved book from my childhood, I was thrilled to obtain a copy to add to my small but delightful collection of children's books.

[Ursula S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny way to get a message across to kids that dishes need to be washed.

[Jazzy Lemon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had this book when I was 4, possibly checked out from the library. I read it so many times. This man didn't wash his dishes!

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tall tail of how procrastination can start small, but suddenly overwhelm a person when a task is put off too many times.

[Kaci Beesecker]

The Man Who Didn't Wash His Dishes is about a tidy man who lived alone. Each night he would cook and clean for himself. One night, however, he was simply too tired to clean his dishes. He thought no harm would come of leaving the dishes until the following night. He continued to let his dishes pile up, and once he ran out of regular dishes, he found random items to eat his food in until he ran out of those too. He washed them by putting them in his truck and drove around while it rained. Once they were cleaned he put them away and realized he was more tired doing that than doing the dishes right after he was done eating.

This could be used in the classroom to teach about responsibility. Students would learn that it's not appropriate to wait to do something that could be done right away because it could cause more trouble later on than right away.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amusing little tale. It's about a man who's single and lives with his cat in a house at the edge of town. He loves to cook, but he has one slight problem, he absolutely hates to wash dishes. So he doesn't, and problems ensue shortly thereafter. It's a great story with a funny ending with a lesson to be learned in the process. The illustrations are simple (by the great Barbara Cooney), yet effective. I really enjoyed this book. I was wondering why it cost so much at this used bookstore I found it at, but after doing some research I see that it's out of print and loved by many people who rated it highly. I will definitely be keeping this little gem on my shelf. the Man Who Didn't Wash His Dishes (1950) by Phyllis Krasilovsky, illustrated by Barbara Cooney. My rating - 5/5

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another one of Madison's favorites when she came to visit us. We had to read this one also every night. A funny tale about what happens when a man doesn't wash his dishes and what he uses instead. How he resolves the dishwashing problem at the end of the story and eating out of ashtrays (clean of course) were two of our favorite parts!
Another book that Madison shared with her baby sister this past summer!

[Samantha Benton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The lesson story conveyed through this book is one many adults have attempted to teach their children. This book uses the extremes to show the consequence pf procrastination, adding a fun spin. The hand drawn illustrations are classically beautiful and provide great room for imagination.

[LadyHague · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new favorite!

Hoarding, lazy, procrastination…all in a simple book illustrated by Barbara Cooney! I love the little old man living alone.

Very short and very simple. Good lesson for my kiddos!

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of predictable, although absurd. Not all that interesting.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. Should not have shared with my husband. It made his clean genes go crazy!!!!

[Ericka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute little book, a little old fashioned, but shows why you wash your dishes every time after you eat.

[Feenie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The very first book I can remember falling in love with. Made me want to keep reading.

[Zachary · Rating 4 out of 5]

As funny as I remember it as a child.

Thanks Ms. Wanstrom!

[Sydney Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

charming classic.

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute book

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relatable

[Nikki Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super fun read for my third grader. Amusing and easy to follow story.

[Pink Leaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

🤣

[Lectora de la tierra media · Rating 3 out of 5]

Libro corto y con un gran mensaje. La procastinación trae más trabajo. Las ilustraciones de Bárbara Cooney son sencillas y hermosas.