About the Holiday

Today we fondly remember all of those socks that for one reason or other go missing from the washing machine, the dryer, the drawer, or even somewhere in between. While matched socks may look neat and tidy and “go” with an outfit, mismatched socks offer an opportunity to jazz up an outfit, show your personality, and have a little fun. Searching for hidden socks can be a game little ones love to play with older siblings or adult.

Red Socks

Written by Ellen Mayer | Illustrated by Ying-Hwa Hu

It’s laundry day and the clothes are all dried and soft and ready to wear. “‘Here is your blue shirt, with the goldfish on it,’” Mama says, pulling the top out of the basket and bending down to eye level to show it to her baby. Next, Mama describes the “yellow and white striped pants” she puts on her child. “‘Let’s see what else is in the laundry basket,’” she says.

Image copyright Ying-Hwa Hu, text copyright Ellen Mayer. Courtesy of starbrightbooks.com

Mama pulls a tiny red sock from the basket, but—“UH-OH!—where is the other red sock?’” Now it’s the baby’s turn to help. With a look down, the toddler shows Mama where the sock is. “‘You found the other red sock. Yay!’” she says, giving words to the baby’s action. She continues explaining while pointing to the sock poking out of the baby’s pocket: “‘It was hiding in your pants pocket!” Once the laundry is folded, Mama tells her child exactly what they will do next while she playfully slips the other red sock on the baby’s wiggling feet. “‘Let’s put that other sock on your foot. Then we can go play outside.’” As the baby flies in the swing outside, the red socks are brilliant dots against the blue sky.

Image copyright Ying-Hwa Hu, text copyright Ellen Mayer. Courtesy of starbrightbooks.com

Ellen Mayer’s simple and charming story of a particular moment in a mother and child’s day will immediately appeal to even the youngest reader. Familiar words coupled with clear, vivid illustrations will engage toddlers who are pre-talking and just learning language and concept development. The mother’s use of complete sentences as well as step-by-step descriptions of the activities the child sees and is involved in demonstrates how adults can converse with their babies and young children to encourage strong language and literacy skills.

The laundry-day setting also encourages adults to share a little early math with little ones as they go about this common chore. Matching socks, talking about and sorting clothes by size and/or color, and stacking folded clothes with kids are all ways to help little learners begin understanding math concepts. 

Ying-Hwa Hu’s illustrations show a mother and child interacting on a typical day while they complete common chores and go outside to play. The mother and child portray a range of emotions and gestures, giving further depth to the understanding of the ideas and conversation presented. Kids will giggle at the adorable puppy who causes a bit of mischief on each page.

Red Socks makes a wonderful baby shower or new baby gift as well as a terrific addition to any young reader’s home library. Free from gender-specific pronouns and with gender-neutral clothing and hair style, Red Socks is a universal story.

Ages Birth – 5

Star Bright Books, 2015 | ISBN 978-1595727060

Red Socks is also available in: Chinese/English, ISBN 978-1-59572-811-1 | Hmong/English, ISBN 978-1-59572-812-8 | Spanish/English, ISBN 978-159572-757-2

To learn more about Ellen Mayer and her Small Talk Books® (including other titles: Cake Day, Rosa’s Very Big Job, and Banana for Two) as well as to find accompanying activities, visit her website!

Discover more about Ying-Hwa Hu and view a portfolio of her illustration work on her website!

To find a Laundry Love Activity Sheet with more early math fun you can have with everyday activities, visit the Star Bright Books site.

About Small Talk Books®

Ellen Mayer’s Small Talk Books® feature young children and adults conversing (or adults speaking to children who are not talking yet) while they have fun, do chores, shop, and bake together. Their conversations demonstrate the kind of excitement and close relationships that encourage learning and language advancement. Each Small Talk Book® includes an accompanying note from Dr. Betty Bardige, an expert on young children’s language and literacy development and the author of Talk to Me, Baby! How You Can Support Young Children’s Language Development. The introduction discusses how children connect actions, words, and meaning as adults speak to them while doing particular jobs or actions.

Other titles in the Small Talk Books® series include Cake Day and Rosa’s Very Big Job. Each book makes a wonderful gift for baby showers, new parents, or anyone with young children in the family. They would be a welcome addition to any young child’s bookshelf as well as libraries and preschool classrooms.

National Lost Sock Memorial Day Activity

Sock Tumble Matching Game

These socks were separated in the laundry. Can you find the matching pairs in this printable Sock Tumble Matching Game.

Picture Book Review