Daisy Helps With the Dress and Interview with Author Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

Today, we're doing something a little different and special. First, we have an amazing read. This one caught my attention because I sewed and 'remade' all sorts of cloths as a child. As with many families, funds were often tight and hand-me-downs from the cousins lagged up to 10 years behind on the fashion front. So, reworking things was my solution as a teen. Plus, my own kids learned how to sew, too, and designed more than a few projects themselves. I can't wait to see what Daisy is up to on that front!

Also, the author has been kind enough to agree to answer a few questions for us! I don't do interviews very often, but it's always a treat to learn more about the people behind the books. So, don't forget to scroll down a bit and take a look at her wonderful thoughts, too!

DAISY HELPS WITH THE DRESS

by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

Illustrated by Charis Jackson Barrios

Denene Millner Books

Picture Book

40 pages

ages 4 to 8

COMING AUGUST 18th!!!

Calling all budding thrifters, eco-warriors, and precocious, mischievous makers! In 

DAISY HELPS WITH THE DRESS (August 18, 2026), by award-winning author Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Daisy, a recycling, re-making, re-doing kind of person in the making, tries to bring a little razzle-dazzle to her cousin’s vintage wedding dress.

Daisy loves helping her family, and she knows the best kind of helpers never wait to be asked. That’s why she doesn’t ask before adding finishing touches to her family’s special reused, re-tried, remixed things, like a leftover broccoli topping for Auntie Fontie’s cakes or a good bath for Nana DJ’s “back-in-the-day, rusty, dusty” vintage albums—much to their chagrin.

What Daisy wants most is to help by giving her cousin Simone’s recycled wedding dress a little flair—a little glitter here and a few stickers there should do it. But, Simone and the rest of the family are not so happy with Daisy’s vision or her decorations. Can Daisy make things right and help her cousin find a new, relived, reloved wedding dress?

DAISY HELPS WITH THE DRESS is a fun, hilarious celebration of a big day seen through the eyes of a determined little character with good intentions who teaches readers about things that matter: family, togetherness, the importance of contributing to community—and honoring how people want to receive help.

GOODREADS    /    PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

This book is all about livening 'old' things up and adding new life in a way which inspires.

Daisy's entire family holds two things dearly: never wait to be asked to do something and reused, retried and remixed is awesome. Daisy is more than ready to help out where she can and loves adding new, original touches to anything she can. Even broccoli. Unfortunately, her good intentions always seem to land her in trouble, especially since the family insists that they wish she would ask before acting first. Despite Daisy's not-so-great track record, she especially wants to help out when she learns that her cousin is having trouble finding the perfect wedding dress. But Daisy's latest attempt at making things better work out this time?

While I thought that this book would be about sewing, it is about so much more. Daisy loves to be creative on any and all fronts. Be it improving food or helping younger family members with building blocks, Daisy hits all sorts of directions with her creativity. Her enthusiasm and determination are heart-warming and inspiring. Even when things go wrong, the disappointment melds with humor, which is sure to make readers smile. The family is golden, too, as they always support each other, and when unhappy with some of Daisy's endeavors, make their feelings clear without falling into negativity. This creates a wholesome atmosphere, which makes it clear what Daisy's mistake is without coming across as preachy. 

The illustrations are as full of energy as Daisy. It's entertaining to see what she's up to next, and the moments are brought across clearly. The text flows well and works nicely as a read-aloud. Beginning readers, who are sure of their words, can pick this one up on their own, too.

It's a fun read with family, inspiration, and heart.

INTERVIEW

I'm excited that Olugbemisola has been kind enough to agree to answer a few questions for us. Inquiring minds want to know, after all, and it's always fun to learn more about the authors behind such well-done stories. 

1)      Just skimming through your biography made me feel like I had to take a step back and catch my breath. To say that you’re active in all sorts of directions seems like an understatement—and so impressive! What has inspired you and drives you forward?

 I'm very much inspired by my family--they had and have so much ingenuity, curiosity, tenacity, and hearts for social justice. And there are so many makers in my family, I was raised to see making as an act of love, community, rest, empowerment, and creative expression.

I was and still am deeply inspired by stories--the books that I read, the family stories I was told (or overheard), by forms of storytelling like theatre, music, and dance. I'm so grateful to live in a city with so much free or low-cost art available--there's always fuel for creative fire!

2)      I’ve noticed that you enjoy crafting and wondered if you’ve done similar sewing/creation projects as Daisy in Daisy Helps With the Dress?

 I very much enjoy crafting!  I come from a family of makers, thinkers, dreamers, explorers, and yes! I've done group projects or refashioned items that belonged to family members, and it's such a special experience. We can bond and connect in ways that might not happen just through conversation--or just make conversation with family members while we are creating together. I believe that working with our hands can provoke memory and break down boundaries. I've also contributed to projects like a group quilt or blanket for a cause, and there's something so wonderful about strangers coming together to create things for others. I think it contributes to helping us live lives of service, of empathy, and of care.

3)      You’ve lived in several very different countries. What is your favorite aspect about each of them?

  I love to get to know the "everyday" of each place that I live in or visit--the community gathering spaces, the dining customs and habits, etc. I am a walker, and I love to just explore, chat with longtime residents, especially elders, check out street art, public spaces. And I always check out the libraries and bookshops! I think that being curious about the world and people is such an important part of being a writer, and I'm so fortunate that I had early experiences of travel to nurture that. I think that it's also important to be OK with being uncomfortable at times, to be the "new" person with humility and a willingness to learn--that's a wonderfully challenging aspect of travel.

4)      Do you have any future endeavors already in sight? Or something you’re particularly looking forward to that’s coming up this year?

  I'm so excited about Daisy--I've already started working on a stage adaptation! I think it can be a really dynamic piece of participatory theatre. I'm also working on a novel about a talking library cat, her rat best friend, and the little girl who helps them save New York City. In terms of future endeavors, I have been itching to write  graphic novel. I got a taste when I worked on a DC comics project, and loved it!

5)      What was your favorite book as a child? And what are you currently reading?

 Ahhhhhhh! I freeze up at this question!😂 I had so many favorites. I think that certain stories can come to us just when we need them, and I love that. A few that helped me through were Honey, I Love by Eloise Greenfield, Black Folktales by Julius Lester, Cornrows by Camille Yarbrough, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, the "Shoes" books by Noel Streatfeild, lots of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Agatha Christie, and Maya Angelou. I know I've forgotten some book loves, and I'm already sorry!

Thanks Tonja!

Thank you, Olugbemisola. And here's wishing years of success in all of these endeavors and more to come!

And here they are...

Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich is the award-winning author of several children’s books, a member of The Brown Bookshelf, and former Board member of We Need Diverse Books (WNDB). She is a two-time African American Literature Book Club bestseller and edited the WNDB anthology The Hero Next Door. She’s contributed to several collections, was recently commissioned to write the Operation Sisterhood stage adaptation, and has written for various outlets, including PBS Parents, and classic hip-hop fanzines, like the iconic Right On! and Word Up!. Olugbemisola has worked extensively in youth development; she was twice awarded a public service fellowship from the Echoing Green for her work with girls and was the 2024 writer-in-residence at Bank Street School for Children. Olugbemisola lives with her family in New York City where she writes, makes things, and needs to get more sleep.

Charis Jackson Barrios, a.k.a. Charis JB, is a Black and Paraguayan artist raised and based in the American South, drawing from all corners of their multicultural upbringing. Their work is continually inspired by the women, textiles, flora, and vibrant colors of their cultivated background. Charis graduated with a degree in fine art from the distinguished art school Cooper Union in New York City. As a commercial artist, they worked with several notable clients, including Google, The New Yorker, and Disney. From their studio practice, they hope their work can find a home in any space that wishes to invite an eclectic spirit, a soft elegance, or some modern cool. Charis presently lives and works from their cozy mid-century home studio.