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The Low-Down Laundry Line Blues
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The Low-Down Laundry Line Blues Hardcover - 1999

by C. M. Millen; Cynthia Millen; Christine Davenier (Illustrator)


Summary

When you're feeling down in the dumps, you just want to be left alone. But when you have a persistent little sister who is determined to get you up, hopping, and out of those low-down laundry line blues, there's no telling what can happen. Poet C. M. Millen's unusual picture book about moods and emotions is perfectly illustrated by Christine Davenier, who captures every nuance of the ups and downs of childhood in this dynamic and jazzy book.

From the publisher

When you're feeling down in the dumps, you just want to be left alone. But when you have a persistent little sister who is determined to get you up, hopping, and out of those low-down laundry line blues, there's no telling what can happen. Poet C. M. Millen's unusual picture book about moods and emotions is perfectly illustrated by Christine Davenier, who captures every nuance of the ups and downs of childhood in this dynamic and jazzy book.

Details

  • Title The Low-Down Laundry Line Blues
  • Author C. M. Millen; Cynthia Millen; Christine Davenier (Illustrator)
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition First Edition
  • Pages 40
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Houghton Mifflin, Boston
  • Date 1999-03-26
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9780395874974 / 0395874971
  • Weight 0.79 lbs (0.36 kg)
  • Dimensions 10.41 x 8.68 x 0.43 in (26.44 x 22.05 x 1.09 cm)
  • Ages 04 to 07 years
  • Grade levels P - 2
  • Library of Congress subjects Sisters - Fiction, Mood (Psychology) - Fiction
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 97041117
  • Dewey Decimal Code E

Media reviews

A little girl gazes out her window, and she's got the blues: "I feel as down and as lonely / as an empty laundry line." The girl's younger sister is anything but gloomy, and she sets about trying to cheer up her sibling: "Be-bop a lollipop! / Do you like to hop a lot? / Me bop a-hoppin' scotchin' / Hoppin' scotch with me?" The laundry line itself provides the cure for the blues when the sisters finally turn it into a jump rope. The jazzy text will be a joy for some children and a pain for others less familiar with the style. However, Davenier's illustrations will speak to everyone: she shows the older sister drooping with every atom of her being as the peppy younger sister exudes energy and happiness.
Booklist, ALA

Four horizontal clotheslines, filled with the laundry of a young girl-panties, tights and socks, T-shirts, skirts, and dresses-decorate the endpapers of this mood piece of a picture book. The laundry ripples with the breeze, but the girl finds no movement to take her out of her "hangin' round," "draggin' down" blues. Looking out of her apartment brown-stone window, she and a sill plant look equally forlorn: her drooping brown hair mimics the plant's single wilted stem. Impressionistic watercolor washes in muted pinks, blues, and browns accent the girl's melancholy. Enter her bespectacled younger sister and their spirited dachshund, determined to cheer the girl up. As the older sister stays sprawled on the floor, the younger one, all energy, suggests hopscotch ("Be-bop a lollipop! / Do you like to hop a lot? / Me bop a-hoppin' scotchin' / Hoppin' scotch with me?") or roller-skating, but the older sister's resistance to her bad mood doesn't break down until the clothesline becomes an irresistible jumping rope. Language and line go from languid to lively under the skillful direction of rhythm-and-blues-inspired poet Millen and her artful companion Christine Davenier, whose vibrant loose line puts one in mind of a contemporary urban Bemelmans.
Horn Book

A fine counterpoint of wistful ache and be-bop sparkle informs this story about shaking the blues. A girl wakes to an urban morning, her elemental funk reflected in the lonely, sagging laundry line seen across the street from her window. That's such a sorrowful line./It's droppin' down so lowly/even pigeons pass it by.' Her bubbly sister will not let her mope and tries a little jazzy word music: Sweet potato!/Rutabaga!/That'll work fine!/We can play together/with the laundry line!' Her persistence pays offit's not long before that piece of rope has been transformed from a study in malaise to a Double-Dutch four-step workout. Davenier's watercolors are charmingly atmospheric, perfectly suited to Millen's spirit-raising verse; the two will work magic on any down-at-the-mouth child. Kirkus Reviews

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The Low-Down Laundry Line Blues
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The Low-Down Laundry Line Blues

by Millen, Cynthia

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ISBN 13
9780395874974
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0395874971
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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Used - Very Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
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The Low-Down Laundry Line Blues
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The Low-Down Laundry Line Blues

by Millen, Cynthia

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ISBN 13
9780395874974
ISBN 10
0395874971
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The Low-Down Laundry Line Blues
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The Low-Down Laundry Line Blues

by Millen, Cynthia

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  • Hardcover
  • first
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First edition. 1st printing.
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Hardcover
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0395874971
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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), 1999. First edition. 1st printing.. Hard cover. New in new dust jacket.. Davenier, Christine (Illustrated by).. 1 Illustrated paper over boards. 40 p. Colorful artwork. Audience: Children/juvenile. Two sisters in a city are feeling low, and thanks to the persistence of the younger, they figure out a way to get their day jumpin'. Author C.M. Millen's rhyming story line (readers who buy this book will applaud that pun) is matched up with Davenier's jazzin' drawings of this day and these girls.
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The Low-down Laundry Line Blues
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The Low-down Laundry Line Blues

by Millen, C.M.

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Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999. 1st . hard. Near Fine/Dust Jacket Included. ISBN: 0-395-87497-1. Front endpaper creased in manufacture. Unread copy Christine Davenier artwork. near fine, nf dj, oversized glossy pict. bds, NOT ex-library unpaged
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The Low-Down Laundry Line Blues

The Low-Down Laundry Line Blues

by Millen, C. M.; Millen, Cynthia

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The Low-Down Laundry Line Blues
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The Low-Down Laundry Line Blues

by Cynthia Millen; Illustrator-Christine Davenier

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The Low-Down Laundry Line Blues

The Low-Down Laundry Line Blues

by Millen, C.M.

  • Used
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
Used - Fine in Fine dust jacket
Edition
First Edition
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780395874974
ISBN 10
0395874971
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Houghton and Mifflin. Fine in Fine dust jacket. 1999. First Edition. Hardcover. 0395874971 . New. First printing. Written in rhyme, with engaging full page watercolor illustrations. Her big sister has the blues, so little sister draws her out of herself and into the world, eventually jumping rope and leaving the 'blues' behind. Told in a wonderful rhyming rhythm. The author drew from the childhood influence of listening to Rhythm and Blues greats such as Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington - ; 4to 11" - 13" tall; 34pp. pages .
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The Low-Down Laundry Line Blues

The Low-Down Laundry Line Blues

by Millen, C.M.

  • Used
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
Used - Fine in Fine dust jacket
Edition
First Edition
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780395874974
ISBN 10
0395874971
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Lake Elsinore, California, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
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Description:
Houghton and Mifflin. Fine in Fine dust jacket. 1999. First Edition. Hardcover. 0395874971 . New. First printing. Written in rhyme, with engaging full page watercolor illustrations. Her big sister has the blues, so little sister draws her out of herself and into the world, eventually jumping rope and leaving the 'blues' behind. Told in a wonderful rhyming rhythm. The author drew from the childhood influence of listening to Rhythm and Blues greats such as Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington - ; 4to 11" - 13" tall; 34pp. pages .
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£12.04
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The Low-Down Laundry Line Blues

The Low-Down Laundry Line Blues

by Millen, C.M.

  • Used
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
Used - Fine in Near Fine dust jacket
Edition
First Edition
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780395874974
ISBN 10
0395874971
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Lake Elsinore, California, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
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Description:
Houghton and Mifflin. Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. 1999. First Edition. Hardcover. 0395874971 . New. First printing. Near fine with light shelf wear on the dust jacket, else Fine. Written in rhyme, with engaging full page watercolor illustrations. Her big sister has the blues, so little sister draws her out of herself and into the world, eventually jumping rope and leaving the 'blues' behind. Told in a wonderful rhyming rhythm. The author drew from the childhood influence of listening to Rhythm and Blues greats such as Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington - ; 4to 11" - 13" tall; 34pp. pages .
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The Low-Down Laundry Line Blues
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The Low-Down Laundry Line Blues

by Millen, C. M.

  • Used
  • Hardcover
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Condition
Used - Fine in Fine dust jacket
Edition
1st Edition
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780395874974
ISBN 10
0395874971
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Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. Fine in Fine dust jacket. 1999. 1st Edition. Hardcover. 0395874971 . A fine gift quality copy in dustjacket. Author inscribed half-title "to Grace - I hope you never have the blues! C. Millen". A first edition copy with full number line. Captivating illustrations accompany this rhythmic presentation of the "ups and downs of childhood." ; MCF04421; Large 8vo 9" - 10" tall; Signed by Author .
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