Lizzie and her doll, Amelia Cordelia, were supposed to be home having a doll tea party with her friend Lucy, but Lizzie’s mom is about to have a baby so Lizzie is spending the day with Grandma instead. “Are you ready for work, Lizzie girl?” She and Grandma are doing the wash: hoisting the copper boiler full of steaming water, sorting the clothes, scrubbing them on the washboard with lye soap, rinsing and running them through the ringer, and then hanging them up to dry. But Lizzie can’t stop thinking longingly about the snickerdoodles she and Ma made for the tea party that’s no longer happening … or is it? Delightful, child–friendly details ground a warm story featuring wonderful, authentic interactions between Lizzie and her Grandma while offering a fascinating look at doing laundry long ago. (Ages 5–8)

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.