It's Monday, Mrs. Jolly Bones!

January 21, 2013
It’s evident from Mrs. Jolly Bones’s billowing apron, unruly hair, and comfy slippers that she is not a conventional housekeeper. In fact, her views on domestic engineering are rather innovative. Tusa (A Meal of the Stars) draws her with cheerful, quirky lines and gives the drawings touches of soft watercolor. With help from farm animals and some human friends, Mrs. Jolly Bones spends her week cleaning and cooking—then punctuating each achievement with an enthusiastic gesture of anarchy. Hanson’s (The Sea of Sleep) catchy verse depends on a predictable setup and a subversive punch line: “It’s Monday, Mrs. Jolly Bones./ There’s laundry to be done./ So gather up the dirty clothes/ and sort them one by one./ Wash them, dry them, iron them,/ and fold them nice and neat./ Then fling them out the window.../ so they brighten up the street!” On Wednesday she bathes in the toilet bowl; on Friday, she cuts her cake with a power saw. Mrs. Jolly Bones’s life is one of cheerful but determined rule breaking, and readers are guaranteed to laugh out loud at each gag. Ages 2–6.

February 1, 2013
Mrs. Jolly Bones has a chore for every day of the week...but readers can be sure they've never done chores quite the way she does. "It's Monday, Mrs. Jolly Bones. / There's laundry to be done. // So gather up the dirty clothes / and sort them, one by one. // Wash them, / dry them, / iron them, / and fold them nice and neat. / Then fling them out the window... // so they brighten up the street!" Tuesday is gardening day--Mrs. Jolly Bones takes care of her balcony garden...and then "polka[s] through the posy patch" with brio. Cleaning the house is on the docket for Wednesday, finishing with a bath in a most unusual place. Thursday's shopping day--quite a list!--while Friday is for baking. Saturday's for play, er wrestling, and Sunday is a day to rest. Tusa's watercolor-and-ink illustrations are largely grayscale with splashes of pastel-colored highlights. While Mrs. Jolly Bones' approach calls for energetic illustration, the busy spreads are perhaps too chaotic, and small things get lost on the pages. This is a shame, as the small things add so much delight: Mrs. Jolly Bones has a menagerie of animals that surround/help her. Amelia Bedelia may come to mind, but Mrs. Jolly Bones' unconventional behavior reflects her originality and flair rather than a lack of intelligence; would that more people flaunt their individuality...but maybe not in the toilet. (Picture book. 3-6)

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February 1, 2013

K-Gr 2-A dry subject is made humorous by quirky Mrs. Jolly Bones and the way she organizes her week. On Monday she does her laundry: wash, dry, iron, and fold the clothes, and then "fling them out the window.../so they brighten up the street!" Mrs. Bones's unexpected behavior will make young readers laugh. It also might make an association with the days of the week that will help children remember them. Ink and watercolor illustrations add lots of details and humor. The picture of Mrs. Bones and her animal friends sitting on her apartment balcony on Sunday and yodeling "until midnight with a chicken in [her] lap" is unbridled fun and sweetness. And seeing the woman cutting into a gigantic cake with a power saw so she can share her dessert with her pals is priceless. This charming picture book is great for a read-aloud about being silly and imaginative. What an engaging way to reinforce learning the days of the week.-Mary Hazelton, formerly at Warren & Waldoboro Elementary Schools, ME

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2013
Preschool-G Mrs. Jolly Bones lives with a menageriea pig, cow, chicken, bunnyand she has an utterly unique take on housekeeping. Monday is laundry day, and the task starts out in the usual way: she gathers the dirty clothes and then washes, dries, and irons them. And then the fun beginsone by one, each freshly laundered item is tossed gaily out the window, where they brighten up the street! Wednesday, cleaning day, is no less kooky, as Mrs. Jolly Bones sweeps and scrubs, before strapping on a snorkel and cleaning herself up (bubbles and all) in the toilet bowl. Hanson's supersilly story provides great material for an illustrator, and Tusa capitalizes on every opportunity with her joyful, signature watercolor-and-pen loose line drawings, depicting a flighty housekeeper and her bevy of animals who wear pops of muted color in the form of pearls and kerchiefs. This color palette continues throughout to lovely effect, particularly on busy spreads with black-and-white backgrounds and pastel-colored details. Most kids hate chores, so they'll appreciate the housekeeping skills on display here.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)