Laundry Day

Starred review from December 5, 2016
Tic and Tac are badgers, brothers, and bored: the title page is littered with the activities and toys they’ve exhausted. Ma Badger corrals the boys into helping hang the family’s laundry on a clothesline, leaving them to finish while she runs an errand. This mundane task proves so much fun that, in short order, the brothers improvise a clothesline that zigzags through their yard, hanging “everything they could find that wasn’t nailed down” on it: clothes, bedding, kitchen utensils, an alarm clock, a bunch of carrots, a checkerboard, a fishbowl, and much more. Ma Badger delivers the punch line for this effervescent comedy sketch, translating “as you sow, so shall you reap” into a fitting punishment. Bagley, who dealt with more somber themes in Boats for Papa and Before I Leave, uses her tidy, detailed rendering style to great comic effect. She stages much of the action along a single plane, letting readers savor the improbable “wash” as it adds up, then pulls back for a birds-eye view so they can admire the full extent of the brothers’ mischievous domesticity. Ages 3–6. Agent: Alexandra Penfold, Upstart Crow Literary.

November 1, 2016
The energetic badger boys, Tic and Tac, agree to hang laundry while Ma Badger goes to market--and Ma receives a shock when she returns. If the funny cover art does not draw in readers, the opening page will do the trick. The two young badgers, identical but for their differently colored striped shirts, lie spread-eagled on the grass, expressing a sentiment often heard from children in the middle of a day at home. " 'I'm bored,' said Tic. 'Me too,' said Tac." As the tale progresses, Ma Badger, in her gingham dress and white apron, suggests activities, all of which are declined by the jaded youngsters. The art is charming and hilarious, reminiscent at times of both Esphyr Slobodkina and Barbara McClintock. Ma Badger uses her washtub and old-fashioned hand-wringer while the children race around and get underfoot. Ma Badger patiently teaches her progeny how to properly hang wet laundry on the clothesline that extends from tree to tree. Readers will laugh as they learn how Tic and Tac further entertain themselves--and how their oh-so-practical mother deals with the situation. A pretty, outdoor, watercolor landscape provides background for the comically rendered badgers, the "boys" always active, Ma calmly laboring. The text is accessible and expansive fun for young readers: "They pilfered the pots. They pirated pillows." This tale of badger mischief is excellent both as a read-aloud and as a book for beginning readers. (Picture book. 3-8)

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Starred review from February 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 1-A wonderfully entertaining, amusing, and beautifully illustrated story, this book is sure to delight a wide audience. Tic and Tac, two rambunctious badgers, are bored. They have done everything there is to do in the world, it seems. Mama Badger suggests that they try hanging up laundry with her. Once they try it, they realize that they love it! So Mama leaves them to finish the chore while she runs out to the store, and then the real fun begins. Tic and Tac decide that laundry is not the only thing that they can hang: Why not books, apple cores, the mailbox, or a yo-yo? Anything can be hung, and the boys exuberantly run around doing so until they have created a huge maze of objects hanging from the line. "They pilfered the pots. They pirated pillows. They looted lampshades and even took the toaster!" The fun stops when Mama comes home and sees the mess, and Tic and Tac quickly learn that they, too, can be hung out to dry. Gorgeous, detailed watercolor illustrations highlight each page and truly bring this tale to life.

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2016
Preschool-G The creator of Boats for Papa (2015) and Before I Leave (2016) tackles here a more mundane problem: boredom. Badgers Tic and Tac have exhausted their usual pursuits and aren't keen to try any of Ma's suggestions. Eventually they agree to hang laundry for their mother while she goes to the market. The boys do a surprisingly good job, but when they complete their task, they decide to also hang the winter clothes, blankets, and every whatnot, bauble, and trinket they can find. Ma returns to find all their worldly possessions on display, and after hanging her sons on the line, the boys gleefully plot how they can next help their mother. Bagley's cheerful pen-and-watercolor illustrations capture the humor and absurdity of the boys' antics, and careful observers will notice the forest animals that assist the boys. Cleverly plotted and skillfully crafted, this humorous story manages to convey both adult and child perspectives. A good choice for one-on-one sharing; make sure to allow time to savor the illustrative details.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)