Jonathan Hillman

With a hint of magic, tons of hope, and a desire for wishes to come true, tons of goodness unfolds in this read.

Every Sunday, Sam and his mother walk to the laundromat, meet others, and wash clothes, but this Sunday, everything is about to change. His mom and him are moving, which means he'll never go to that laundromat again. So, he decides to give something a try and wishes on the washing machine.

My favorite aspect of this read is that it is very easy to identify with. While many picture books have characters, who live in nice houses or apartments, this one hits other circumstances. It shows life at a laundromat, and even mentions how Sam and his mother are going to move into the grandfathers small trailer, where it's tight but full of wonderful things. Sam is happy. The friends at the laundromat are happy. And the magic seems to pour from every corner without really being there at all.

Then, there's the washing machines and the hint of imagination surrounding them. It hints at magic and wishes to add just the right dusting of magic, while never really leaving the amazing twists life offers. It's warming and uplifting without bending past the magic of reality. The text flows smoothly to create a lovely read-aloud either in groups or smaller settings, and the illustrations will have listeners coming back to explore the tale on their own. It's one of those reads to enjoy. I received a DRC and found this to be a very well-done read.… (lisätietoja)

I didn't buy this book but I saw a TV segment about it on something like possibly 60 minutes which showed the pictures and basically read the whole book to me. I appreciated the spirit of the book that is to give children confidence that they need. On the other hand I'm against children dressing in drag or performing in drag. That is why I gave this a mixed review of three stars because I would have preferred if the book had had the same charming illustrations and just not been about drag. I don't think the book would be harmful for children to read unless they misunderstand the spirit of the book. The spirit of the book is really about giving children confidence not saying that they should dress in drag or promoting them dressing in drag. Drag just happened to be what the little boy wanted to do in the context of this story. I'm also against toddlers and tiaras beauty pageants because I think it's too much pressure. We should really just let kids be kids and not put them on stage.… (lisätietoja)