Life Lessons Lovingly Presented
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Runaway Clothes by Mrs. D is full of delightful imagery. The words flow in such a fanciful way that children are sure to be immediately engaged and pulled into the story. Its endearing quality teaches young ones the importance of taking care of their valued belongings in such a way that they will not realize they are learning a lesson in the proper care of one's possessions. Excellently executed!

If the colorful writing does not yet engage the youngest of readers, the beautiful illustrations are guaranteed to catch their attention! I believe this book will delight children of all ages. The youngest will be drawn in by the vivid pictures while the older ones will become lost within the lovely descriptive words. They will feel the child's anguish at the loss of her runaway clothes, and later her joy, as she is reunited with them.

It is sometimes difficult for me to leave a review and judge someone's work, but this author made it an incredibly easy process for me. Beautiful storytelling, Mrs. D! I am sure it will be treasured by the many children lucky enough to get lost within its pages.

An instructive and incredibly beautiful story with a happy conclusion.
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
One morning when the little girl woke up, to her huge surprise, she could not find her clothing. Standing in front of her empty closet, she tries to find out what happened to her clothes and why her favorite dresses, pants, and shirts left her on this misty morning. How dare they leave her with just her summer pajamas? Sound familiar? At first, Nika tries to blame the poor hangers, but the hangers have had enough of her unpleasant attitude, and they run away too. What happens next is a great story about Nika’s realization of her behavior toward her belongings. She finally understands that there is only one person who is responsible for all this mess … and now is the time to take responsibility for her own actions.

Any parent knows what it takes to make their children clean their room. Runaway Clothes sparked a needed conversation between my eight-year-old son and me. Without preaching and hammering, Mrs. D. made my young son believe that the clothing and toys have feelings also, and they need proper care and love. No mess in his room! At least for now. As the mother of a young child, I found Mrs. D.s book very useful. It helps me to better understand my son and how I should deal with some extraordinary situations, we are facing when it comes to cleaning his room. This book teaches children to respect their things and make them think about the circumstances.

In my humble opinion, this is a brilliant book! What I love the most about Mrs. D’s educational story is her approach to this very touching subject: how to help parents teach their children to take care of their belongings without being annoying. I am amazed how the author lures readers into the world of the young girl, who gradually begins to realize how unfair she was to her belongings. Marvelously executed illustrations lead readers throughout the story while teaching lessons and showing the solutions. The story is written with a touch of magic, which makes this book appealing and memorable. My son loved the magical wind, talking trees, and giggling sunrays. Runaway Clothes is one of these loving stories that young children will enjoy reading repeatedly. It suits both girls and boys.

I’ve read all the books by this author. Mrs. D. is an incredible storyteller. Her characters are fascinating, loving, and mesmerizing. They are believable in that they reach hearts, teach lessons, and most important, they are kind and sweet, and fun to read to children. All of her books are beautifully illustrated and very inviting. They give readers new emotions and experiences while transporting them into the magical world of the beautiful classic fairy tales. Excellent teaching tools for children and adults!

PS. It was impossible not to fall in love with one of her characters, Carlo the Mouse, who found a warm spot in the hearts of Russian children. They can hardly wait for the next book from the Carlo the Mouse series. I am sure Runaway Clothes will find its readers around the globe and will leave a positive impact on readers of all ages. This is a small book, but it carries huge messages and provides great teaching tools. A brilliant book for young children and an excellent helper for parents!

A wonderful fantastical world!
This review is from: Runaway Clothes (Kindle Edition)
We're straight into a wonderful fantastical world, with Nika confronted by quite a surprise when she opens her
closet. All of her clothes have gone, and the hangers are too scared to say anything! She finds out she hasn't been
taking good care of them and so they've run away, and how many children could do with learning this particular
lesson? Our heroine is a naughty girl at the start (who hasn't been naughty at some point in time?), but she
gradually sees the error of her ways. What if her toys do the same thing? It's time to take positive action...

There's lots of great little touches to the story that will really bring it to life for young readers; on the
opening page, the hangers actually creep away from Nika into a corner, hiding from confrontation, before attempting
to run away. Then there's the sock drama that I'm sure all homes suffer - it doesn't matter how many you buy, it's
impossible to keep track of them!

The illustrations by Chanoa are incredibly vibrant, with a strong manga influence to the style, each image
excitingly framed. This far eastern look is crossed with an almost disney-esque use of colour and movement to make
something quite unique. The comibination of great story and interesting illustrations makes this a real page-turner
- readers will be keen to know what happens next, and what it will look like. There's some great depictions of toys
staging a mass escape, and of Nika's clothes wandering the city streets alone (you can discover the rest for
yourself).

After an emotional journey, Nika of course learns her lesson, and vows to respect her belongs. Children will get on
Nika's side, as her personality traits really bring her to life. There's a strong panic element to the idea of
inanimate objects coming to life, and in this story is the threat of big trouble if Nika doesn't put things right
and learn to put things away properly. Echoes of The Sorcerer's Apprentice are certainly welcome.

This is a great book, and this reviewer is keen to see more of Mrs D.'s already extensive backlog. And you never
know, after reading this a messy child might just change their ways!

Runaway Clothes (Kindle Edition)
Nika never saw it coming. She was so set in her ways, in her neglect of the things that were important, that it was a complete surprise.

The hangars told her, in words crisp and stern. Her clothes had run away. And they were of the same mind, as were Nika’s toys.

Why? Because she did not take care of them.

What happens when Nika learns her lesson? And what are the lessons learned–by all?

I love Mrs. D’s works. Every one of them is a charmer, and every one teaches a lesson. Her illustrator, Chanoa, is gifted beyond telling. Such lovely art work. I loved how the tree friends from Ms. D’Agostino’s “The Trees Have Hearts” were incorporated into this story. Nika couldn’t go outside to play with them, because she didn’t have anything to wear, and the tree friends can be seen waiting for her to come outside.

Not to fear–this book isn’t a scary one. There is a misunderstanding that leads to the clothes being returned–all small children will understand the very real reason behind the disappearance of the clothes. But they will also realize the importance of taking care of what they have. And that is the very real message that the author is trying to convey–gently and sweetly, as is her way.

Always a treat to read Mrs. D’s books!

Runaway Clothes (Kindle Edition)
Runaway Clothes is a whimsical and charming tale that educates children on the importance of taking care of their belongings.

Nika is shocked to find that her clothes have disappeared and now her hangers are leaving as well. Bewildered by this development, Nika begins to reflect on her treatment of her beautiful clothes. She remembers that she often threw them on the ground or stuffed them in her drawer. As she cries she notices her toys are scattered about her room. Worried that they too will leave, Nika decides to make a change, but is it too late?

The author uses Runaway Clothes to teach children to be grateful for the things they have and to value them through care a respect. The delightful illustrations add to the enjoyment of the story.

I highly recommend picking up Runaway Clothes.

What a lovely way to teach children how to be neat and tidy and take care of their things. Mrs. D has the innate ability to tell a story in a fascinating way that grips the little readers. She creates a fantasy world where clothes can talk and the elements - wind and sunlight are the character's friends. Her books enable children to believe that anything is possible when you make believe.

Children will be drawn into the story by the easy flow of the tale. The beautiful illustrations will delight and mesmerize children. I have read other books by this author and have been in awe at her talent and creativity in weaving stories that are reminiscent of tales of old. I highly recommend all Mrs. D's books to parents who want their children to enjoy reading in a fun and engaging way.