Ready for some nonfiction goodness? I know I am, and today's read takes a peek at a rarer theme found in this age group range. Fashion! As a person, who loves to sew and be creative, this drew my attention. Now, I realize that not all younger readers out there, who are working up their reading skills, will get excited about a book on fashion. But they are there. I've met them. Luckily, this one also should present the information in an inter-active, game manner...or so the blurb claims. I'm excited to dive in because this one could be tons of fun.
So, grab those garments and add a little history dust...and off we go!
GET DRESSED!
A Historical Guessing Game for Fashion Lovers
by Katy Canales
Illustrated by Erin Vanessa
Phaidon Press
Children's Nonfiction
48 pages
ages 5 to 8
COMING MAY 13th!!!
An illustrated, interactive introduction to fashion history for children, revealing the fascinating connections between clothing and culture
In this first book of fashion history for children, young readers will discover fabulous clothing and fashion trends worn by people past and present. Packed with extraordinary facts and eye-catching illustrations, the book reveals through a fun guessing game format why Elizabethan men stuffed their stockings, only certain people were allowed to wear red in the Ottoman Empire, and Marie Antoinette once wore a wig with a toy ship in it.
Featuring 10 high-interest periods including the Ancient Greeks, Early Iron Age Denmark, Tang Dynasty China, Elizabethan England, the French Revolution, Edo Era Japan, 1920s USA, and 1950s Ghana, Get Dressed! goes back in time to capture the fun of fashions’ past, from the perfectly practical to the potentially perilous.
The book also includes a forward-looking spread on fashion’s future, featuring designers known for their ground-breaking and sustainable approaches, such as Stella McCartney, Sami Miro, Tommy Hilfiger, and Vivienne Westwood.
MY TIDBITS
The answer to the question of what people wore throughout history and across the globe holds more than a few surprises.
These pages jump through various time periods and various places around the globe to highlight several things the people at that time wore. From the Tang Dynasty in China to the Olympics to the Inca civilization, all sorts of climates, purposes, and situations hit the spotlight. Ten periods are looked at and each one zooms in on four different individuals or jobs, ranging from Queen Elizabeth to children during the Iron Age and more. Starting with a question directly pointed at a time period and place, there's a short paragraph with a historical overview to lay the foundation. A bright illustration brings the scene and individuals to life with tags to point out who they are and several details about their clothing and such. To wrap it up, there's a question, which shows three answers to a question surrounding the clothing of the four people being looked at...two correct and one wrong. There are several more very short descriptions to add more historical goodness as well.
There's quite a bit of information packed into these pages, and it's delivered in an entertaining way, which draws in and holds the attention. The chosen time periods and situations are all over the place, meaning the variety is wide-ranging and includes a few famous individuals but mostly everyday people. While some of the clothing articles don't surprise, others are quite interesting. The information about each one is short but grabbing while offering insights and knowledge. Even the wrong answers include a quick sentence about when they were discovered/worn and a few other tidbits.
The illustrations are, obviously, key, since a visual of the clothing is as important as the descriptions and historical goodness. These are nicely done and make each one easy to understand. The full scenes hold other details to a depth to each moment and even more historical information.
While this one is recommended for 5 to 8 year-olds, I'd slide it to the upper end of this audience level and even recommend it for slightly older readers.
This is not only a fun read for history buffs and fashion friends but would make a nice addition for groups as they study the various time periods...for classrooms as well as homeschoolers. It adds a different perspective to the historical time periods and deepens the understanding of what life was like at that time. Plus, it's an enjoyable read.
And here they are...
Debut children’s author Katy Canales is the Beatrix Potter Curator. Katy joined the National Trust after a decade at Young V&A and the V&A Museum. As curator, she produced family-focused exhibitions, displays and public events. Katy was the V&A Museum’s children’s clothing collection specialist.
Erin Vanessa’s artwork is a blend of traditional and digital methods. Erin lives and works in Canada. She is the author/illustrator of two picture books: You Do You-nicorn and Swept Away at Witch Camp.
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