This is perhaps one of the saddest picture books I've seen in a while. It's the story of a little girl whose childhood is about to end with the beginning of formal schooling. Based on the idea of how lonely the little girl's mother will be when her child begins school, the book shows all the wonderful cuddly things that they won't be doing together anymore, such as baking muffins together, singing songs, reading picture books, having afternoon tea time, and walking to the park. I suppose a great subtitle would be "The end of childhood and a close relationship with mom." I suppose this book did have a good effect on my children--They are more thankful to be homeschooled children after seeing how much this little girl and her mother had to give up!

This book sensitively works through a young girl's fears about parting from her mother to go to school. The girl turns her own feelings into concern for her mother, wondering "how will my MOTHER manage if I leave her here alone?" Not only is this a clever approach in book form - it is a way of looking at challenges that makes real children relax tremendously and get in touch with their own strength. I know because I have worked with young children for many years, and turning issues around like that often gives them a new & empowering perspective, which they love. I don't think this book is depressing at all, by the way. Along with lovely paintings, there is the heartfelt love of a daughter for her home & her mother, and also an authentic resolution of a child's fears.

This is a heart warming story, that many parents have to face when sending your child to school for the first time. The pictures are beautiful!

Enjoy!

First of all, Dolores Johnson has a good Mystery series going here with a very fun cast of characters, and if you're looking for a new series to read through, I don't think you can go wrong with these books. They are fun, well written with creative plots and very little profanity. I do recommend, though, that you start with "Taken to the Cleaners". I just didn't quite enjoy this one as much as the others and wished that some avenues (with likable chacters such as Honest Abe or the murder victim's sister) in the story were explored more.

While I very much enjoyed the first Mandy Dyer books, I don't seem to like the most recent books as well. I think there's a lot of potential for this series, if the author can just get the books back on the right track. For a "cozy" mystery, there's not much coziness/intimate knowledge of the protagonist/warmth.

Mandy wasn't much fun in WASH, FOLD AND DIE, and I was disappointed that she allowed herself to be discarded and then picked up at will by homicide detective Stan, her so-called boyfriend. Doesn't the woman have any pride at all? The man dumped her 9 months previously, and then pops up one day on official business and Mandy is all ready to start dating him again.

As far as the mystery goes, I liked it somewhat. I didn't get so involved in the story line that I was waiting breathlessly for all to be revealed. There were a couple times I felt Mandy behaved recklessly and illogically (after all, a killer is loose!). Doesn't the woman have any sense of self-preservation?

On the positive side, I felt as though I were back in Colorado; the descriptions of winter scenes and clothing requirements reminded me vividly why I no longer live there! And Mandy always provides us with helpful stain removal tips, such as how to remove grape juice stains from carpets and clothing.

I had this book sitting on the shelf for a while before I picked it up yesterday to read. Her last book was one where I couldn't wait to finish it because I just wanted to be done with it, but this one was right back on track with the humor that attracted me to her books from the beginning. While I agree with one of the other reviewers that the relationship between Mandy and Stan seems to be going nowhere, it was explained in this book why he is so leery to become committed to her. I think with time, they will start getting more involved. Even without the romance, her books are enjoyable - how can they not be with the cast of characters - Betty, Mack, Honest Abe, Arthur, Nat, Spot...... I am very much looking forward to going home and picking up her next book.