Sometimes, and somehow, we miss really great mentions of our books on the internet!
We recently found this great blog post from the Dayton Metro Library where Monday Is Wash Day was chosen as a Honor book for their Mock Caldecott meeting in December.
We are honored!
What a great way to end 2016 with a mention of Monday Is Wash Day in Elizabeth Bird's School Library Journal blog. She included this book in her "Best Picture Books of 2016" post and had this to say:
Of all the books I failed to review in 2016, this may be the book I regret the most. A picture book about a 1948 washday doesn’t sound too terribly exciting, but Sundby and Blackham transcend both setting and time period. It’s sublime.
We agree! Have you checked out Monday Is Wash Day?
Just two more days to Wordstock! You can find us in the Fields Sunken Ballroom on the 1st Floor of the Mark Building at PAM.
Come meet Tessa Blackham, illustrator of Monday Is Wash Day, and have a book signed. She will be at our booth at 11am and 2pm.
Come meet Piotr Parda, illustrator of The Gentleman Bat and author/illustrator of the forthcoming Graduation Day, and have a book signed. He will be at our booth at 11:30am and 2:30pm.
Stop by to chat and buy some books (and t-shirts)! All books will be specially priced at $15.
Yesterday was MaryAnn Sundby's first author visit to a first grade class in Aurora, Colorado. We don't always share the readings, signings, and visits our authors do but the photos MaryAnn sent were so sweet and heartwarming, just like her story, we just had to share.
She also brought a rinse tub, clotheslines, and a bottle of bluing!
Thank you to BookPage for another lovely review of Monday Is Wash Day. We are hearing again and again how people are really connecting with the quiet charm of this book.
A delightful book that feels like playing paper dolls with extremely artistic friends, Monday Is Wash Day gives us a snapshot of daily life for Annie and her family. In a time before front-loaders and delicate cycles, before dry-cleaners and steamers, Annie and her sister pitch in—helping their mother fetch the water and turn the wringer, pour the bluing and hang the clothes out to dry. Proud of their hard work, the sisters look forward to playtime.
First-time author MaryAnn Sundby shares her knowledge and enthusiasm for these simpler times. With a calm, descriptive and assured voice, Sundby’s storytelling underpins the “everything in its place” sentiment of the book. The sisters’ gentle teasing brings a comfortable depth to an uncluttered story, while their baby brother’s games add a playful tone.
While Monday Is Wash Day tells a straightforward story, Tessa Blackham’s illustrations are far from simplistic. Beautifully drawn, Blackham’s cut-paper characters gracefully inhabit her paint-and-paper collage world, where no detail is forgotten. With a grandfather clock and hanging wall-portrait silhouettes, the rotary phone and kitchen curtains, soft colors bring us into a house that immediately feels like a home. Most astonishing is the tactile depth and movement on each page. With skillful manipulation, Blackham turns stiff paper into well-worn rugs and floaty dresses, wrinkly jeans and draped tablecloths. Clothes drying on the line nearly flutter in the breeze.
This gentle read-aloud is perfect for multigenerational sharing, and is sure to elicit a few “when I was little” tales of your own. Monday Is Wash Day charmingly captures a memory that, while not necessarily our own, is familiar and cherished—a sentiment that transcends the machinery and trappings of our days.
Monday Is Wash Day, written by MaryAnn Sundby and illustrated by Tessa Blackham, is on sale now!
In this enduring story from a time not so long ago, Annie and her sister help Mama with washing the clothes on Monday morning. From gathering and sorting the clothes, to washing and hanging them outside to dry, to folding and putting them away, the family works together to get the job done.
“First we work and then we play.” Mama smiles but walks with purpose to the porch.
Tessa Blackham’s warm, hand-painted cut-paper collages bring the reader to a time in the Midwest when doing the laundry was an all-day family chore.
For a preview of Tessa Blackham's illustrations click here.
Stop by your local bookseller, order a copy online, request it at your local library, give it as a gift, review it on Goodreads, share our posts, and support picture book authors and illustrators (and independent publishers)!
Reviews for Monday Is Wash Day
Here are some excerpts from the fantastic reviews we've received for Monday Is Wash Day. Check out our website to read the full reviews and more.
"...this picture book delivers readers to an early time and leaves them feeling as warm and sun-kissed as a sheet fresh off the line."
-Kirkus Reviews (starred)
"An original and deftly crafted story by MaryAnn Sundby that is charmingly illustrated by Tessa Blackham, "Monday Is Wash Day" is a wonderfully engaging and entertaining story from a time not so long ago."
-Midwest Book Review
"Washes of pale color, delicate pencil detailing, and cut-paper collage elements create an expansive and inviting domestic backdrop, as Blackham uses wrinkled paper to evoke rumpled fabric and white string for clotheslines and apron ties. Beyond offering a glimpse of bygone household routines, the story is a quiet reminder of the pleasures of a job well done."
-Publishers Weekly
Author / Illustrator Profiles
MaryAnn Sundby: As a child, she could be found tending to chores on her family’s farm. She went on to explore the wilds of Alaska, the oil fields of Texas, and the copper mines of Arizona. She returned to Colorado to write about her life’s journey and share it with readers. An avid adventurer and history buff, she writes stories that enhance understanding of heritage along with fostering hope and joy. This is her first picture book.
Tessa Blackham: First time children’s book illustrator, she graduated from Brigham Young University with her BFA in illustration. Tessa works as a freelance illustrator and in her spare time enjoys sailing and playing the piano. She currently resides in Seattle, Washington, with her husband, Andrew, and a fluffy studio cat, Willow. www.tessablackham.com
Visit our website to read in-depth profiles about author MaryAnn Sundby and illustrator Tessa Blackham.
Remember how we said we love seeing our books mentioned? Well, we really love seeing our books mentioned with lovely quotes like "Artistry, when done well and for the right reasons, yields classics." Thanks to Elizabeth Bird from A Fuse #8 Production, a School Library Journal blog, for including Monday Is Wash Day in her Some of the Best Picture Books of 2016 Thus Far post. Click here and scroll down to the M's for Monday Is Wash Day.