I have a confession to make: I live in an all male household. Yes, even the cats are boys. Sometimes I really, really need a “girly-girl” fix. The new picture book A Dress for Me! by Sue Fliess and illustrated by Mike Laughead 
is a perfect anecdote to all the maleness that surrounds me.
If you remember the fast-paced romp Shoes For Me! you know what to expect when Hippo goes on a shopping adventure. Told in flawless rhyme, this time Hippo is search of a new dress for school.
“Should we shop now?”
I say “Yes!”
Mom says I can choose
a dress!
Sometimes shopping is not an easy task, however. There are so many choices. Will Hippo ever find the right one?
Hearing and reading rhyming text is so important for language development, and I love the vocabulary introduced in this book. A Dress for Me! is a perfect book for the budding fashion designer or shopping diva, but also for anyone that has faced a challenge and wasn’t sure they could overcome it.
Some fun things to do to accompany the book:
1. Design a dress or other doll clothing
Gather:
- Dolls or action figures
- scraps of cloth
- ribbons, colorful yarn
- lace
- beads
- chenille
- scissors
- glue
- small safety pins (optional)
- sewing supplies (optional)
Drape the scraps of cloth around the dolls to get ideas. Skirts can be simply tied about the waist like a sarong. Adding a belt of ribbon, yarn or lace can cinch on dresses or tops. Cut holes in cloth to create arm holes. Most children will need little guidance once they get the idea.
No sewing is really needed, but patterns are available free online if you want to extend the activity further.
Even the leftover scraps from the dining room drapes look great on a doll.
2. Come up with your own poem about a shopping trip, or another adventure.
3. Plan a special shopping trip with your favorite little shopper.
Have fun!
Hardcover: 24 pages
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Childrens Books (March 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0761461485
ISBN-13: 978-0761461487
Review based on an arc supplied by publisher,