The Big Enough Helper

by Nancy Hall, Tom O'Sullivan (Illustrator)

Suzy is told by Mama that she is too small to open the door; she might get hurt. The manager of the laundromat tells her she can't play with the carts. She tries to help Mama and gets into trouble. To Suzy it probably seems like she will never be big enough or never do things right. This is a beautiful little book about helping children to fit in no matter where they are.

Genres: Childrens

23 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1978

Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suzy is too small to do anything, especially help her mom with doing laundry at the laundromat. So then Suzy meets this dad who's folding his laundry and asks if she would like to help him. This makes Suzy feel needed and important, with just a little act of kindness and encouragement, which makes Suzy's mom reconsider Suzy's abilities to be a help to her, rather than a burden.

Great lesson, but this book is creepy too, but I like creepy. This guy who Suzy meets folding laundry, when he's first introduced, looks like he's high on drugs and is a pedophile. I mean the illustration is not what you're expecting. It was published in the 1970s, so it's understandable. My rating - 4/5

[Heather Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this Little Golden Book when I was a preschooler. I wished I could go to a laundromat and ride around in a laundry cart and see clothes go around in the dryer through a window. (Had plenty of opportunity to do that in college, of course, but it wasn't as magical as it would have been when I was 3.)

[SBC · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like this because the girl's mother was so dismissive and impatient with her. Kindness from a stranger helped her mother realise she could let her daughter be involved, but this wasn't a mother figure I was keen on sharing with my child.

[Siobhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been trying to find some of my favorite childhood books to add them to my Goodreads. It's not always easy with just a rough idea of what the books are about. But ChatGPT has been a great tool for me!

[Jade Ralston]

I like this book because it does show a single father and a single mother. It tells a story about how the child feels. She feels like she is not a big enough helper. Kids feel like that sometimes. It is important to show that they can help and they are wanted. The man is talking to the child and asking her if she knows how to fold socks. "No, Suzy said. So the man showed her how, and it was fun. A baby started to cry. Uh-oh! Tim is waking up, the man said."(Hall, 1978) I like this book. It shows a certain situation in which many people live. I feel a child could relate. It is older and the illustrations are older, but I still enjoyed it.

[Sj · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my most favorite books as a child. I was so glad when I found a copy in a used bookstore so that I could read this to my kids. My 3 year olds love this book. They are now "big enough" to help me around the house with different things and they bring up the book every so often when they do help me out. I recommend this book to anyone with kids because it is a great read.

[Kylie Abecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this story is a little sad. Mum is too busy to bother showing her daughter ways in which she can grow and understand and help. Definitely not a favourite of mine