A Reluctant Love Story

     by Andrea of Duluth Minnesota, Guest Contributor

My young son and daughter enjoyed a delightful book I recently found for them at Duluth Public Library, Rosebud and Red Flannel. Rosebud was a dainty, well made nightgown and Red Flannel was a quite well worn red union suit. 

The Simon and Schuster publication was written by the very talented author, Ethel Pochocki, and wonderfully illustrated by Mary Beth Owens. It reminded me so much of your recent posting of your mischievous scarecrow in "Down on the Farm" who also wore a red union suit like Red Flannel.  My kids and I thought the farmer and his scarecrow caught standing by the side of the road dressed in nothing but their long red flannel winter underwear was a hoot!

In Rosebud and Red Flannel, both the nightgown and the union suit were gifts the husband and wife exchanged one Christmas. The couple  lived on a farm with their children where the family laundry was typically hung outside on a line to dry.  

Hanging out year after year with the shirts, socks and underwear, Red Flannel became enamored with the beautiful Rosebud. She, however, did all she could to ignore him, believing an old suit of long underwear was beneath her.

In order to get her attention, Red Flannel would do tricks in the wind like somersaulting over the clothes line and tying himself up in knots. Although the other underwear, socks, shirts and such, drying on the clothesline, found him quite amusing, Rosebud was unimpressed. 

 

One day, a brutal snow storm hit the area.....

....before the family could remove their clothes from the clothes line! Rosebud and Red Flannel, along with the other clothes, were ripped from the line and blown far away! 

For awhile, the red flannel underwear was caught in a tree. But, the wind was so strong, the tree lost it's grip on the union suit and it continued its journey... 

When the wind finally subsided, Rosebud found herself atop Red Flannel, trapped together until spring when....

...a farmer on a property miles away found a woman's nightgown and a man's union suit there in his field among the cattle. Scratching his head, he wondered, "what can I do with wet, muddied long flannel underwear and a night gown?"  

To find out, you'll want to dig deeper into this fine children's book. It's well worth a trip to the book store, ordered on line, or obtained from your local library. Your kids will love it and so will you....Andrea  

Thanks, Andrea. Always good to hear from you....Chris

Andrea's book review is the fourth in my series, Down On the Farm.  More coming soon.