Zoe's Literacy Project: The Big Enough Helper!

You don't need a pretend magnifying glass to see I'm a big enough helper!

Friends, in my continuing effort to catch up on the Classics, today I wanna talk to you about another little book that I love, and that book is called The Big Enough Helper, written by Nancy Hall and illustrated by Tom O' Sullivan.  According to the inside cover, the book was Mommy's, and it was written in 1978, but Mommy didn't get it until Easter Time in 1981.

How about that?!

This book is about a little girl named Suzy and her mommy named Mama. 
You know, even though this was Mommy's book, and she woulda related to little Suzy when she was given this book, the thing of it is, she's much more like Mama now.  and I find myself really relating to Little Suzy, which is sorta ironic.  You would think that having read this book and felt for Suzy when she was a kid, Mommy wouldn't have forgotten how it feels to be a little kid and being told she's too little to help with things.  And yet, apparently, she has, because she ALWAYS tells me I'm too little.

But back to the book.

You see, Suzy and Mama are going to the laundromat at the opening of the book.  Mama has a big load of wash to do, and Suzy wants to help, but she's told she's too little.  Mama tells her to play with her dolly, and Suzy does, until the laundromat manager scolds her for playing with the laundry carts with her dolly, because the laundry carts are just for doing laundry, not for children playing or riding in.

Terrible waste of a laundry cart, if ya ask me. 

Anyways, Suzy sees one of her socks on the floor, outside of the washing machine, so she decides to pick it up and toss it in the wash- tryin' to be helpful, you know!  But do you know what happens?  Hot water, suds, and wet clothes come tumbling out all over her. 

Suzy's Mama dries her off and sits her up on toppa a laundry-folding table to just stay the heck outta the way.  And Suzy does, but a fella needs to fold his wash.  Do you know what he does?  He LETS SUZY HELP!  That's right, he does.  He gives her a towel to fold, and fold it she does.  He asks her to pair up and fold socks into little balls, and she doesn't know how to do that, so HE SHOWS HER!!!  And then when his Little Kid wakes up in his stroller and starts to fussing, the fella lets Suzy play with the little kid, to keep him outta trouble while he finishes up folding his wash!  How about that?!

And that's not all.  When he's leavin' the laundromat, he thanks Suzy for bein' sucha good little helper, and he thanks Suzy's MAMA for lettin' him borrow her good little helper!

Well, I'll tell ya what, Friends.  Mama sure gets her comeuppance from that stranger tellin' her what a good little helper Suzy is.  He was all nice about it and everything, but Mama sure got the point.  Suzy's a big enough helper, after all!

Just like me.  I'm a big enough helper, after all.  I love to help Mommy mop the floors.  She didn't usedta let me, but now she lets me run the scrub-brush on a stick, and she follows along with the string mop.  It feels good to be able to help!

Friends, if you have a little kid in your life that wants to help, let us.  If we don't know how to do something, show us how.  My people, the Little Kids, love to help you.  We really do.  But you always think we're Too Small.  Please give us a chance. 

I love ya lots, Friends!  I'll see ya tomorrow!  Muah!