Plano Reads: Laundry

Laundry may be a chore, but reading doesn’t have to be! Check out this book list for some of our favorites stories about laundry and clotheslines.

Whether you’re looking for a story to get you started or one to pass the time between loads, you’re sure to find plenty of new favorites hanging out in this list.

This Saturday on our “Saturday Stories on the Farmstead” we are at the Heritage Farmstead Museum in Plano, Texas to have a storytime about counting! Be sure to check our Facebook page at 10:30 a.m. on November 14 for the premiere. Check out our teaser below!

Whether you’re looking for a story to share or to learn something new, this list has you covered. You can see the books below and place them on hold in our catalog.

Board Books

Note: Board books are unavailable for holds requests. To check out these titles, you’ll need to come to a library and grab it from the display. The catalog link will show you where the book is available.

Ladybug Girl and Her Papa by David Soman Request
Join Lulu and her papa as they spend a perfect day together. They take a hike complete with rock-skipping at the stream, make a delicious pancake breakfast, and build a birdhouse. Even hanging the laundry to dry is an adventure when Ladybug Girl is with Papa. This sweet story captures the everyday magic of the love between a little girl and her dad.

Picture Books

Smelling Sunshine by Constance Anderson Request
Celebrates the special moments the ordinary task of doing laundry brings when shared by a parent and child.

Laundry Day by Jessixa Bagley Request
Two bored badgers have run out of things to do until their mom suggests they help with the laundry.

Washday by Eve Bunting Request
One sunny Saturday in 1889, Lizzie helps her grandmother scrub, boil, rinse, and hang loads of laundry, although she would rather be having a tea party with her best friend, Lucy, and their dolls, Amelia Cordelia and Belinda Lavinia.

The Hat by Jan Brett Request
When Lisa hangs her woolen clothes in the sun to air them out for winter, the hedgehog, to the amusement of the other animals, ends up wearing a stocking on his head.

No More Blanket for Lambkin! by Bernette Ford Request
Ducky wants to play laundry day and wash Lambkin’s blanket. But an unexpected event occurs when the blanket is washed.

A Pocket for Corduroy by Don Freeman Request
A toy bear who wants a pocket for himself searches for one in a laundromat.

Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do by Kathryn Heling Request
Invites readers to guess different professions based on the uniform and equipment required for each.

Clothesline Clues to Sports People Play by Kathryn Heling Request
The clues in each lively verse can be spotted hanging from the clotheslines. What athlete wears those items? Turn the page to discover the sport at hand–and the athlete in full gear! From baseball and soccer, to fencing and archery, there’s something for everyone–including a surprise ending. A perfect choice for reading aloud and encouraging kids to join in the guessing and reveal.

Clothesline Clues to the First Day of School by Kathryn Heling Request
Drying clothes suggest different people the reader will meet on the first day of school.

Bill Grogan’s Goat adapted by Mary Ann Hoberman Request
Presents the familiar rhyme about a pesky goat that gets in trouble for eating shirts off the clothesline.

Red Hat by Lita Judge Request
In this almost wordless picture book, a troupe of baby forest animals borrows a child’s hat, until all that is left is a long piece of red string.

Laundry Day by Maurie Manning Request
A boy travels throughout his lively neighborhood, searching for the owner of a red cloth he has found.

The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash by Trinka Hakes Noble Request
Jimmy’s boa constrictor wreaks havoc on the class trip to a farm.

A Fox Got My Socks by Hilda Offen Request
Rhymed text and illustrations describe what happens on washing day when the wind blows away the clothes. Includes instructions for imitating the actions shown in the illustrations.

The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter Request
Lucie visits the laundry of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, a hedgehog, and finds her lost handkerchiefs.

The Flyaway Pantaloons by Sue Scullard Request
A pair of pantaloons relates how, after being blown off its clothesline, it had an exciting adventure before returning where it belonged.

Farmer Brown Goes Round and Round by Teri Sloat Request
A twister strikes Farmer Brown’s farm and mixes the animals all up, so that the cows oinked, sheep clucked, hens brayed, and his hound neighed.

Monday Is Wash Day by MaryAnn Sundby Request
In this timeless 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.

Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash by Sarah Weeks Request
Mrs. McNosh hangs up her wash with such gusto that her clothesline ends up holding the dog, a Christmas wreath, a kite, and other odd items.

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems Request
After Trixie and daddy leave the laundromat, something very important turns up missing.

Ten Birds Meet a Monster by Cybèle Young Request
When ten little birds encounter a monster in the house, they use various pieces of laundry to make themselves look bigger and scarier to ward the monster away.

Junior Fiction

The Secret Laundry Monster Files by John R. Erickson Request
Hank the Cowdog and Deputy Drover investigate a monster that appears just as they are about to arrest Eddy the Rac for ripping one of Sally May’s sheets while it hangs on the clothesline.

By the Grace of Todd by Louise Galveston Request
When dirty laundry under his bed gives life to a tiny civilization that worships him, twelve-year-old Todd must protect the Toddlians from a school bully.

Just Annoying by Andy Griffiths Request
Andy is really, really annoying! His stories will entertain you. They will make you laugh. But more than anything, they will annoy you. AND annoy, and ANNOY you. And annoy YOU…

Madam C.J. Walker Builds a Business by Denene Miller Request
Sarah is the first in her family to be born free in Delta, Louisiana. But being free doesn’t mean that Sarah doesn’t have to work. She cooks, she cleans, she picks cotton, she does laundry, and she babysits. And when she works, she wraps up her hair. One day, Sarah’s hair starts to fall out! It’s itchy, crunchy, patchy, and won’t grow. Instead of giving up, Sarah searches for the right products. And then she invents something better than any shampoo or hair oil she’s used before. Her hair grows and grows, so she decides to start her own business.

Sheets by Brenna Thummler Request
When Marjorie, a practical teen in charge of her family’s laundry business, encounters Wendell, a ghost seeking purpose in the forbidden human world, the pair must find a solution to Wendell’s hauntings that are causing chaos in Marjorie’s life.

Junior Nonfiction

Dirty Laundry Pile: Poems in Different in Voices selected by Paul B. Janeczko Request
A scarecrow, washing machine, cow, and other objects and animals express themselves in this collection of poems.

Anna Strong: A Spy During the American Revolution by Sarah Glenn Marsh Request
Anna Smith Strong was a fearless woman who acted as a spy for George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Recruited by Washington’s spymaster, Major Benjamin Tallmadge, she joined the Culper Ring, a group of American spies. General Washington placed a huge amount of trust in his spies, and Anna helped pass him important messages at a great risk to herself and her family. One of her cleverer devices was to hang laundry on the line in a planned fashion so that other spies could read the “message.” Had she been discovered by the British, she would have faced jail or execution. Thrilling and dramatic, Anna Strong tells the story of how one brave woman changed the course of American history. The book includes an author’s note, a bibliography, an index, and a spy code so kids can get involved in the action.

Art from Her Heart: Folk Artist Clementine Hunter by Kathy Whitehead Request
Clementine Hunter’s paintings went from hanging on her clothesline to hanging in museums, yet because of the color of her skin, a friend had to sneak her in when the gallery was closed.

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Be sure to browse the library catalog online here, and use your library card number and PIN (last four digits of your phone number) to place a hold request.