6th March National Dress Day 1st June and 1st December Wear a Dress Day

Wear a Dress! Not something I have thought about this overtly, but the 'dress' is something I haven't written about before and we do have some books that feature dresses and which could initiate some good discussion about gender norms, up cycling, memories...

I remember long ago, reading Bill's New Frock by Anne Fine to a Year 5 class that was heavily boy-weighted in the hope that the boys might consider the girls in the class occasionally. Well I'm not sure that happened, but we had some very lively discussions about gender and how what we wear can change perceptions. I find the young children that I teach now are quick to decide upon the sex of a character based on what s/he is wearing, yet the girls wear shorts to school as part of their school uniform.

The preschool teachers also find this and this book,  Dress Like a Girl  by Patricia Toht and Lorian Tu-Dean is often borrowed by them as a provocation.

The Princess Who Hated It  by Robin Klein is a book that highlights the traumas that go with having to 'dress like a princess' when you don't want to. In the library we still have an illustrated version of this story, but the Nibble version is the same story. Princess Althea hates being a princess. She doesn't know what to do, until she meets Peggy Plum, the farmer's daughter. Peggy loves to wear fine clothes  and you can guess what Althea decides to do. 

The Cherry Dress  by Elizabeth Honey is old, but it does the concept of growing out of something you love very well. grandma gave Sally a dress that she wants to be able to wear for ever. You can pair this with The Forever Dress by Harriet Ziefert or The Dress and the Girl  by Camille Andros and Julie Morstad or I Had a Favourite Dress  by Boni Ashburn and Julia Denos because they talk about favourite dresses and what could happen once you no longer have or fit in that dress.

A Dress With Pockets by Lily Murray and Jenny Lovlie. Lucy goes shopping with her Aunt Augusta. She wants a dress with pockets. She needs somewhere to put  her leaves, her delicate petals, her magical spells and beautiful shells...

 Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress  by Christine Baldachino and Isabelle Malenfant tells the story of Morris, a young boy  who loves using his imagination. He dreams about having space adventures, paints beautiful pictures and sings the loudest during circle time. But most of all, Morris loves his classroom's dress-up corner - he loves wearing the tangerine dress. But the children in Morris's class don't understand. Dresses, they say, are for girls.

Rose's Dress of Dreams by Katherine Woodfine

Young Rose dreams of sewing beautiful dresses for the women of Paris. But when a chance encounter with royalty changes her life, Rose must draw on all her skills to create the most breathtaking dress of them all Based on the life of Rose Bertin, the woman credited with creating haute-couture.

Coco and the Little Black Dress  by Annemarie van Haeringen

A beautifully illustrated picture book biography of Coco Chanel. Coco Chanel (1883-1971) was a famous French fashion designer. Born into a poor family, strictly brought up in the orphanage, influenced by the style of wealthy suitors, she remained faithful throughout her life to the simplicity. A luxurious simplicity, which has produced memorable style icons like the little black dress. 

And ...


 

Of course I probably should have included saris, kimonos and dresses from other cultures, but that can wait for another post.

1st February World Hijab Day

World Hijab Day is observed every year on February 1 to honour Muslim women who wear the hijab. It is also a day to urge women of various origins and beliefs to try on the hijab and see what it is like to wear it. Muslim women maintain their modesty by wearing the hijab.

I teach in a school where there are very few children who practise the Islamic faith, but where many of the students and/or their parents were not born here, and thus the students are global wanderers and are fascinated by difference. They travel overseas regularly and most of them have seen more of the world than I have.

I remember having a great discussion with a class about Kelly Cunnane's  book Deep in the Sahara  and talking at length about wanting to emulate customs, parents and or fashion, just as Lalla does in this story where she wants to wear a malafa just like her mother and older sister.

I remember also when I first read The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad, and the students were fascinated by the hijab and the fact that an Olympian wore one. It certainly gives a new perspective to the first day of school. Ibtihaj's sequel The Kindest Red  highlights the hijab too.

The Boldest White is coming in March.

Other books that would continue these discussions would be:

• Mommy's Khimar by Jamilah Tompkins-Bigelow and Ebony Glenn.

• Under My Hijab by Hena Khan and Aaliya Jaleel

• Layla's Head Scarf by Miriam Cohen and Ron Himler

Hana's Hundreds of Hijabs  is written by Razeena Omar Gutta, a South-Asian Muslim who was born in Zimbabwe but who is now living in Australia. Here's the blurb:

Hijab styling in the context of creative fashion brings a unique, positive and fun perspective to a sometimes misunderstood religious practice. Readers unfamiliar with hijabs will learn about how they are worn, while children familiar with hijabs will see their own experiences reflected . Children with large, overflowing collections of favourite items will relate to Hana's dilemma. Clever and humorous story about creative problem-solving.