A cute, relatable story with simple illustrations and a reminder that our actions have consequences. My preschoolers really enjoy this one!

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This is a humorous book about a kid stuck on the clothesline and his mother not being able to hear his cries for help. Could be a fun storytime read.

The Clothesline is a picture book written and illustrated by Orbie. It is currently schedule for release on October 15 2019. This is a story about a little boy who lives above a convenience store with his mom. When he goes to spend his pocket money on candy—only when Mom’s not looking—he gives the knot on the clothesline by the outdoor stairs a good yank (it makes the best sound). One day, he tugs a little too hard, and takes the stairs a little too fast, and—whiiiiiz!—gets stuck hanging smack in the middle of the clothesline. He cries for help, but Mom doesn’t hear. He waits for someone to save him, but only a black cat slinks by. His arm gets tired—but if he hangs on with both hands, he’ll risk dropping his coins! It’s a true dilemma. Finally, he cries out so loudly that he tumbles to the ground. He still spends his pocket money on candy. But he NEVER touches the clothesline again.

The Clothesline has simple text and the images tell as much of the story as the words. It is in the style of a graphic novel, complete with sound effects and sequential storytelling. The illustrations show the fear, worry, and indecision of the young boy in trouble quite clearly, and his problem is one that most young readers could see themselves falling into themselves fairly easily. I am sure I would have done something similar in his position. The young boy is a good sympathetic character, gets himself into trouble doing something he knows is wrong but is very tempting and learns his lesson. I think I would have liked to see him a little braver when it is time to come down from the clothesline- but I was a tree climbing and jumping sort of kid. I liked the story, and the illustrations, and think that it could spark interest in graphic novels in young readers. However, it just did not wow me or strike the chord I was hoping for as I read.

Reggie lives above the corner store. He loves it when he gets money for doing chores because he zips down from his house to the store to get a treat. Every time he zips down the stairs he likes to grab the knot on the clothesline and make it twang. But one day something else happens and Reggie is left in a bit of a predicament.

This feels like a misadventure that would happen to Charlie Brown. And it seems entirely plausible. His predicament feels like life and death to him. But it is quite entertaining to the readers. Some bodacious little readers will be encouraging him to do various different daring dos and the results of his misadventure would have some kids clamoring to repeat the events. Thankfully, he takes the safer and wiser approach to surviving his overly eventful afternoon and avoid taunting danger in the future. It is a cute, lightly humorous story that totally feels like it might be based on someone’s real life childhood experience. The illustrations are a simple but fun cartoon-ish style that fit the story perfectly. Recommended to those who like lightly humorous misadventure stories.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was so cute! I loved that the main character learned his lesson, and I could see myself reading it with my kids (at home and school) and laughing right along with them!

This story was so cute and silly. A little boy learns a very hard lesson, but he survives. He was afraid and called out for help, but when no one came, he took matters into his own hands. He used his problem solving skills. A lesson at every turn.
#Netgalley

Reggie loves living above a convenience store because it means he doesn’t have to go far to buy candy. And whenever he heads downstairs, he gives the knot on the clothesline a yank because he loves the noise. However, one day he pulls too hard and—one thing leads to another—he ends up in the middle of the line, dangling above the ground. How on earth can he get down?

Reggie bursts onto the page with ferocious energy and a clear voice that carries him straight into peril. He’s endearing and a bit melodramatic, but author-illustrator Orbie stabilizes this with enough realistic tension from Reggie’s perspective that the whole situation feels both funny and serious. It’s a careful balancing act.

This is greatly served by her minimalistic watercolor illustrations. A masterful use of white backgrounds makes Reggie appears as though he’s drifting out in the middle of nowhere— surely how he views it. Yet when pulling away from Reggie’s perspective, Orbie fills in Reggie’s city-fied front yard setting, suggesting he might not be as high up as he thinks. A cute cat and plenty of subtle flourishes round out her light and fun illustrations.

Ultimately, Orbie has crafted a sweet story about a delightfully mischievous child learning to get out of a difficult situation on his own.

I loved this book. It reminded me a bit of Stuck by Oliver Jeffers. The little boy in the book is adorable and the illustrations made it like a cartoon. This is a cute story that I can't wait to read with my students.

This is kind of a junior junior graphic novel.

The illustrations were kind of a throwback to my childhood. I loved them. I read the story aloud to my husband at his request. He laughed a lot. I suspect that the story wouldn't be quite as funny to a 5 year old. But I think they would really, really relate to his experience. I'm pretty sure my library doesn't have anything quite like this. It's kind of fun to see something that claims its own place in literature. I will undoubtedly read it aloud to my 3 year old. I think she'll enjoy it, and I expect her to be very concerned about Reggie's predicament!

The Clothesline
By Orbie

I give this children’s story a solid 5 out of 5 birds. I literally laughed out loud on a few pages. I don’t know if its because it’s late and the obvious mom humor in it resinated so well, but I loved it. I feel like this book is perfect for those kids who often find themselves doing things they know they shouldn’t… perhaps like my two year old that who can light a match….. I loved the simple art and the “educational” tidbits throughout. It’s a great tool to show working can get you- a whole 30 cents- what is this the 1900’s? I also loved the problem solving aspect to it. I am a HUGE advocate for my kids to learn to solve their problems… Unless their problem is trying to finish their chocolate, then I’ll help.

This book was a little long for a picture book, but I loved it. Definitely one to put on your list! It drops on October 15, 2019! Don’t worry this is one I’ll remind you about.

Thank you Netgalley for the free EBOOK in exchange for my honest review.

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The Clothesline is a lovely story of learning to overcome our fears and making risky decisions. My favorite part of this story is the fact that is shows a family living in an apt over a store. Not many stories show different ways of living and for that alone, I want this book on my shelf.

Sweet story that teaches a good lesson. It would be a good book to teach cause and effect or character changes.

Very cute story about a five-year-old who forgets to let go of the washing line and has to gather the strength to get out of his predicament. Cute illustrations.

I thought is was alright. Good for kids who get themselves into trouble all the time lol. 5 percent chance this story inspires some weird ideas involving a clothesline and themselves hanging off of it.

One day five year old Reggie helps his mom by picking up his toys and vacuuming for her. His mom is so grateful for his help that she rewards him with three dimes. Wow! Thirty cents! Reggie has hit the jackpot.

The two live above the corner store so can you guess where Reggie is heading? He is very happy, excited and on a mission. He zips down the wooden stairs faster than usual, maybe too fast, and unfortunately loses his footing and goes flying off the steps. Luckily he grabs the knot in their clothesline and hangs on for dear life to save himself from a tumble. Uh-oh! He's in trouble now.

Reggie is dangling high above the ground by one hand and finds himself stuck in the middle of the clothesline. Why can't he use both hands to cling to the rope? Well the answer is that his coveted ten dimes are tucked in it and he won't risk dropping them.

He is in quite a pickle. He shouts very loudly for his mom to come and rescue him but there is no response.... just silence. A big old black cat wanders by but is of no help to the small struggling boy. Realizing he needs to solve his problem himself, Reggie tries different strategies to safely disengage himself but none are successful. Finally he comes to the scary realization that there is only one way to get freedom and that is to let go! Will he make that valiant decision become a reality and then be able to achieve his goal?

The sequential illustrations with simple text are wonderful. They are full of action, expression and emotion. The story reminds us that choices have consequences and lucky for Reggie his choice ends safely and has a very sweet outcome. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. Unfortunately I found this story confusing. Things seemed out of sequence, maybe?The storyline idea is cute though.

This might be a bit longer than the average picture book, but it's a fast read, and pretty entertaining.

Reggie is five years old. He likes to help his mom. He also likes to tweak the knot on the clothesline as he runs past it down the stairs. One day, he loses his footing and has to grab the knot... which sends him sailing out into the yard, dangling like a piece of laundry. His mom doesn't hear him, so he's forced to wait for some other form of help to arrive. It never does, though...

While I'm not entirely sure Reggie's voice is that of a five-year-old boy, it's sweet nonetheless. He learns a good lesson from his misadventure, which is shown in the final pages; I like seeing that, especially in a kids' book. The illustrations are funny and appealing, showing the various emotions of a young child who's found himself in a scary (for him, anyway) situation.

This is a great story about consequences, problem solving, and learning from past mistakes. But it's all packaged in a kid-friendly format (although adults will probably get a chuckle out of this one as well).

Hehe...a very funny parable for children on, "oh no no you better not do that or you'll end in trouble, if you keep doing said action" and how to get out of the said resulting trouble! Some lessons just need to learnt the hard way.

The Clothesline is a children's picture book that shares a simple story about a child learning from mistakes and facing his fears in a graphic novel sort of style. While I appreciate the author's attempts, this book just didn't grab me as the reader. The premise is good, it just fell a little flat for me.

Horrifying, yet pretty funny! Nice cautionary tale with pretty intense illustrations of a boy caught in the middle of a second floor clothesline. I think kids will appreciate his dilemma- first about a\having to drop the allowance, and next having to deal, alone, with his situation... Mom's wearing a headset listening to loud music, and doesn't hear him hollering for help! Kind of timely message to parents! Nice plugin! There is seldom downtime with kid ! It's always amusing to read and see what the rest of the world finds humorous!