It’s evident from Mrs. Jolly Bones’s billowing apron, unruly hair, and comfy slippers that she is not a conventional housekeeper. In fact, her views on domestic engineering are rather innovative. Tusa (A Meal of the Stars) draws her with cheerful, quirky lines and gives the drawings touches of soft watercolor. With help from farm animals and some human friends, Mrs. Jolly Bones spends her week cleaning and cooking—then punctuating each achievement with an enthusiastic gesture of anarchy. Hanson’s (The Sea of Sleep) catchy verse depends on a predictable setup and a subversive punch line: “It’s Monday, Mrs. Jolly Bones./ There’s laundry to be done./ So gather up the dirty clothes/ and sort them one by one./ Wash them, dry them, iron them,/ and fold them nice and neat./ Then fling them out the window.../ so they brighten up the street!” On Wednesday she bathes in the toilet bowl; on Friday, she cuts her cake with a power saw. Mrs. Jolly Bones’s life is one of cheerful but determined rule breaking, and readers are guaranteed to laugh out loud at each gag. Ages 2–6. (Mar.)
Hanson’s supersilly story provides great material for an illustrator, and Tusa capitalizes on every opportunity with her joyful, signature watercolor-and-pen loose line drawings…. Most kids hate chores, so they’ll appreciate the housekeeping “skills” on display here.
"Monday is laundry day, Tuesday is for gardening, Wednesday is cleaning day, and so on through the week. Industrious Mrs. Jolly Bones tackles each job with gusto, her animal retinue eagerly pitching in. And who wouldn’t want to do housework with this cheerful crew?.... Hanson’s cheeky rhyming text expertly delivers each day’s punch line, and Tusa’s joyful watercolor and ink illustrations help set the pace and bring the story’s infectious silliness to a whole new level…. Mrs. Jolly Bones lives up to her name; her irreverent approach to chores is one kids will enthusiastically endorse (up for debate, perhaps: “step into the toilet bowl and give yourself a scrub”).
March/April 2013 The Horn Book
In this rollicking ballad, Mrs. Jolly Bones is a woman who keeps a serious housekeeping schedule—in her own peculiar way…. Hanson writes with an appealingly larky joie de vivre; the combination of drudgery and absurdity is amusing, and the crisp scansion makes the verse dance…. Tusa’s scrabbly outlining and rich detailing expand on the text’s chaotic humor…. Kids will adore the transgressive joy of dutiful housekeeping gone silly; just don’t ask them to help clean up afterwards.
April 2013 Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Monday is laundry day, Tuesday is for gardening, Wednesday is cleaning day, and so on through the week. Industrious Mrs. Jolly Bones tackles each job with gusto, her animal retinue eagerly pitching in. And who wouldn’t want to do housework with this cheerful crew?.... Hanson’s cheeky rhyming text expertly delivers each day’s punch line, and Tusa’s joyful watercolor and ink illustrations help set the pace and bring the story’s infectious silliness to a whole new level…. Mrs. Jolly Bones lives up to her name; her irreverent approach to chores is one kids will enthusiastically endorse (up for debate, perhaps: “step into the toilet bowl and give yourself a scrub”).
Hanson’s supersilly story provides great material for an illustrator, and Tusa capitalizes on every opportunity with her joyful, signature watercolor-and-pen loose line drawings…. Most kids hate chores, so they’ll appreciate the housekeeping “skills” on display here.
The small things add so much delight: Mrs. Jolly Bones has a menagerie of animals that surround/help her.
Amelia Bedelia may come to mind, but Mrs. Jolly Bones’ unconventional behavior reflects her originality and flair rather than a lack of intelligence; would that more people flaunt their individuality…but maybe not in the toilet.”
“It’s evident from Mrs. Jolly Bones’s billowing apron, unruly hair, and comfy slippers that she is not a conventional housekeeper. In fact, her views on domestic engineering are rather innovative. Tusa (A Meal of the Stars ) draws her with cheerful, quirky lines and gives the drawings touches of soft watercolor…. Hanson’s (The Sea of Sleep ) catchy verse depends on a predictable setup and a subversive punch line…. Mrs. Jolly Bones’s life is one of cheerful but determined rule breaking, and readers are guaranteed to laugh out loud at each gag.”
“Hanson’s supersilly story provides great material for an illustrator, and Tusa capitalizes on every opportunity with her joyful, signature watercolor-and-pen loose line drawings…. Most kids hate chores, so they’ll appreciate the housekeeping “skills” on display here.”
“A dry subject is made humorous by quirky Mrs. Jolly Bones and the way she organizes her week…. Mrs. Bones’s unexpected behavior will make young readers laugh. It also might make an association with the days of the week that will help children remember them. Ink and watercolor illustrations add lots of details and humor…. This charming picture book is great for a read-aloud about being silly and imaginative. What an engaging way to reinforce learning the days of the week.”
"Monday is laundry day, Tuesday is for gardening, Wednesday is cleaning day, and so on through the week. Industrious Mrs. Jolly Bones tackles each job with gusto, her animal retinue eagerly pitching in. And who wouldn’t want to do housework with this cheerful crew?.... Hanson’s cheeky rhyming text expertly delivers each day’s punch line, and Tusa’s joyful watercolor and ink illustrations help set the pace and bring the story’s infectious silliness to a whole new level…. Mrs. Jolly Bones lives up to her name; her irreverent approach to chores is one kids will enthusiastically endorse (up for debate, perhaps: “step into the toilet bowl and give yourself a scrub”).”
“In this rollicking ballad, Mrs. Jolly Bones is a woman who keeps a serious housekeeping schedule—in her own peculiar way…. Hanson writes with an appealingly larky joie de vivre; the combination of drudgery and absurdity is amusing, and the crisp scansion makes the verse dance…. Tusa’s scrabbly outlining and rich detailing expand on the text’s chaotic humor…. Kids will adore the transgressive joy of dutiful housekeeping gone silly; just don’t ask them to help clean up afterwards.
Mrs. Jolly Bones has a chore for every day of the week…but readers can be sure they've never done chores quite the way she does. "It's Monday, Mrs. Jolly Bones. / There's laundry to be done. // So gather up the dirty clothes / and sort them, one by one. // Wash them, / dry them, / iron them, / and fold them nice and neat. / Then fling them out the window… // so they brighten up the street!" Tuesday is gardening day--Mrs. Jolly Bones takes care of her balcony garden…and then "polka[s] through the posy patch" with brio. Cleaning the house is on the docket for Wednesday, finishing with a bath in a most unusual place. Thursday's shopping day--quite a list!--while Friday is for baking. Saturday's for play, er wrestling, and Sunday is a day to rest. Tusa's watercolor-and-ink illustrations are largely grayscale with splashes of pastel-colored highlights. While Mrs. Jolly Bones' approach calls for energetic illustration, the busy spreads are perhaps too chaotic, and small things get lost on the pages. This is a shame, as the small things add so much delight: Mrs. Jolly Bones has a menagerie of animals that surround/help her. Amelia Bedelia may come to mind, but Mrs. Jolly Bones' unconventional behavior reflects her originality and flair rather than a lack of intelligence; would that more people flaunt their individuality…but maybe not in the toilet. (Picture book. 3-6)
