Catchy rhymes and visual cues introduce young readers to the people they'll encounter as they embark on their first day of school.
Co-author Kathryn Heling always aspired to be a writer. Today she
is the co-author of several children's books.Co-author Deborah
Hembrook adores being a teacher and co-writing with Kathryn Heling.
Some of their titles include Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do,
Clothesline Clues to Sports People Play, I Wish I Had Glasses Like
Rosa, and Ten Grouchy Groundhogs.
Andy Robert Davies works as a professional illustrator and
lecturer. He's illustrated Truck Stuck, Clothesline Clues to Jobs
People Do, and Clothesline Clues to Sports People Play.
www.ardillustration.com
Following Jobs People Do (2012) and Sports People Play (2015),
Heling, Hembrook, and Davies are back with another Clothesline
Clues book, this time focusing on the different roles people might
play in a school. As with the earlier books, a short stanza sets up
the scene: "High on the clotheslines / hang clue after clue. / It's
the first day of school! / Who wants to meet you?" The two spreads
that follow first encourage readers to guess whose belongings are
hanging on the clothesline and then reveal the answer. A coat;
yellow hat, gloves, and safety vest; and a hand-held stop sign must
belong to "your crossing guard." A classroom teacher's things
include a button-down shirt, bow tie, sport coat, book bag, and a
class roster. The other jobs include cafeteria cook, custodian, and
gym and art teachers. The final clothesline holds myriad pants,
shirts, dresses, scarves, coats, and backpacks that belong to the
new friends anxious to meet readers. Davies' people are diverse in
race and ability (several wear glasses, and one uses a wheelchair),
and one girl wears hijab. Most of the adults are the opposite
gender of the typical stereotype: Both the classroom teacher and
the cafeteria worker are brown-skinned men, and the gym teacher and
custodian are brown-skinned women. Davies' bright pencil,
mixed-media, and digital illustrations feature white backgrounds to
help readers focus on the clues and on the things they will notice
in their own classrooms. Another solid entry.
—Kirkus Reviews
What friendly faces will be encountered on a child’s first day of
school? Look at the clotheslines to find out! As the title
indicates, clothing and accessories hang from clotheslines
throughout this book. Readers are given pages of textual and visual
clues alternating with the reveal of the character described in
their expected environment. For example, “Raincoat and warm
gloves,/a hat and stop sign, too./Safety vest and badge./Who wants
to meet you?/Your crossing guard!” Other clothesline clues reveal a
teacher, cafeteria worker, custodian, gym teacher, art teacher, and
new friends. The predictability and welcoming nature of each
segment will help young children find comfort in the story as they
are faced with the potentially nerve-wracking introduction to
school. A variety of children and adults are depicted in the
images, adding inclusivity and connectedness to the story that is
not directly stated by the text. Every illustration gives readers
the opportunity to name recognizable objects and places, enhancing
the readability of this book. VERDICT Whether readers are entering
school for the first time or are old pros, all will enjoy the
guessing game and overall message of this lovely story.
—School Library Journal
Items hanging on a clothesline provide hints about the people that
readers might encounter at school. The story's text takes the form
of snappy stanzas: "Book bag and new shirt, / a class roster to
review. / Bow tie and jacket. / Who wants to meet you?" Based on
the clothesline clues, the answer to this riddle is a teacher—a
smiling figure shown in a colorful classroom. The story moves
forward in this manner, depicting a wide variety of school
personnel, from a crossing guard to a cafeteria cook to a
custodian. It concludes on a high note with a diverse group of
students at play. Andy Robert Davies' vibrant, upbeat illustrations
make this a title that parents and kids will appreciate as summer
comes to an end. As this skill-building book shows, it takes a
village to ensure that a school runs smoothly.
—BookPage
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