Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Ella Sarah Gets Dressed
Board Book
For ages 2 to 5
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008 ISBN: 978-0152064860
Ella Sarah gets up one morning, and she decides that she is going to wear a very colorful outfit that will include striped socks, yellow shoes, a red hat, and "pink polka-dot pants." Ella Sarah's mother thinks that the outfit is "too dressy" and she tries to convince her little daughter to wear something a little more conventional. Ella Sarah, naturally, refuses.
Next Ella Sarah's father tries to convince her to wear some sensible play clothes, but Ella Sarah wants to wear the outfit she picked out. Nothing anyone says is going to make Ella Sarah change her mind, because she is hosting a special event today.
This lap-sized board book will immediately resonate with children who have their own ideas about how things should be done. Ella Sarah knows what she wants and, as we find out, she has a very good reason for wanting to wear something special. The sturdy and large format book is full of Margaret Chodos-Irvine's unique illustrations, which were created using various printmaking methods. Colors and shapes explode off the pages, and the effect is quite delightful.
This title (in a picture book format) won a Caldecott honor in 2004.
