The Runaway Shirt

July 24, 2020

PreS-K-Few things are as irresistible to a toddler as a pile of clean clothes. A small child dressed in an oversized shirt sneaks into the laundry basket and mischievously waits for the mother to notice. After folding "a towel, a pair of pants, and some underwear" she decides she will "fold this shirt next," scooping up her giggling offspring. "First one sleeve, then the other. Then I fold it in half" she says, but the laughing "shirt" escapes and will not stay put on the bed, in the drawer, or in the closet, scattering everything in the process. Finally, "wearing" (lovingly hugging) the wayward garment and its occupant stops the merry chase, and the pair begin folding a towel together. Casta�o's vivacious yet soothingly earth-toned illustrations with bold graphic patterns bring out the humor in MacMillan's text, providing droll contrast to the seemingly straightforward narration. VERDICT An additional, but charming, purchase. With whimsical vibes reminiscent of William Steig's Pete's a Pizza, a sweet depiction of how even a mundane task can turn into a fun game given some imagination, patience, and love.-Yelena Voysey, formerly at Pickering Educational Lib., Boston Univ.

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2020
As a mother does the laundry, she takes a break to play a pretend game with her young child.When she starts folding the laundry the child can be seen climbing into the laundry basket behind her. She folds a few items and then reaches over to fold a shirt. Only this is a special shirt--the child is inside it, but she pretends to pay this detail no mind. "First one sleeve, then the other. Then I fold it in half," she says, folding the child's knees up over crossed arms. "But the shirt [does] not stay folded." When she repeats the operation and places the shirt alongside the rest of the folded clothes on the bed, "the shirt [does] not stay on the bed." And so the game proceeds, with the mother trying to put the shirt into a drawer and then trying to drape it on a hanger. When at last she decides to wear it instead, the game is up. Mother and child tumble over in an embrace, laundry scattering all over. " 'I love you, shirt,' she whispered. 'I love you, Mommy,' said the shirt." Many a young reader will giggle in recognition of similarly enacted pretend games of their own. The illustrations, unfortunately, are a little stiff, and their faces and body language do not reflect as much emotion as the game would suggest. Mother and child are depicted with brown hair and olive skin.Sweet, if a little bland. (Picture book. 3-5)

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