Dress-Up Day: A Picture Book

Review\n**STARRED REVIEW**
"There’s an emotional change on almost every page of this picture book as Gómez presents the possibility that moments of chagrin don’t last forever, and that disasters can morph into delight." ―Publishers Weekly\n**STARRED REVIEW**
"Despite working in deceptively simple forms, Gómez effectively portrays the narrator’s emotions through body language and facial expressions, enhancing and expanding the text. This lovely little book celebrates one child’s experience in a welcoming, diverse environment and will speak to a broad audience."
―School Library Journal\n"Gómez’s charming paper collage and digital illustrations have a flat rendering style reminiscent of child art and faithfully capture the distinctive gestures and deeply felt emotions of young children. . .Genial and satisfying in its sweet, childlike simplicity."
―Kirkus Reviews\nAfter missing her class costume party, a girl decides she doesn’t need an excuse to dress up in this charming, relatable school story
When a little girl is home sick for dress-up day at school, she decides there’s no need to miss out entirely: She’ll just wear her rabbit costume the next day!\nBut when the next day arrives and she’s the only one in costume, it doesn’t feel like such a great idea, after all. Can a little bit of confidence and an unexpected new friend turn a self-conscious moment into a wonderful one?\nFunny, endearing, and relatable to any kid who’s ever felt insecure, Dress-Up Day is an ode to friendship, embracing individuality, and putting yourself out there no matter the occasion.\nFrom School Library Journal\nPreS-K-This delightful picture book captures the ups and downs of preschool life through the eyes of one girl. The nameless, tan-skinned narrator is excited to wear the rabbit costume her mom made her for dress-up day at school. But when illness forces the girl to stay home, her mom suggests she wear the costume the next day instead. This seems like a great idea, until the other kids make fun of her. Then Hugo shows up in his carrot costume-he was sick, too! The two have so much fun that the others join in, and the next day, a whole bunch of kids show up in costume. The concise, first-person text perfectly captures the little girl's voice. The paper collage and digital illustrations are done in a naive style, depicting a diverse group of children with round heads, dot eyes, and colorfully dressed bodies. Despite working in deceptively simple forms, Gómez effectively portrays the narrator's emotions through body language and facial expressions, enhancing and expanding the text. VERDICT This lovely little book celebrates one child's experience in a welcoming, diverse environment and will speak to a broad audience.-Amy Lilien-Harperα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.