The Beautiful Layers of me by Sophia Payne illustrated by Ruchi Mhasne

Blurb: Aunty is getting married! Ameena feels beautiful in her new salwar kameez. But when someone comments on her 'pyjamas', Ameena is suddenly a bit less sure about her traditional dress.

Ameena’s emotional twists and turns feel authentic and relatable, and her eventual pride in her outfit—and, by extension, her identity—will resonate with young people. In Mhasane’s tidily composed illustrations, the brown-skinned family’s bright ensembles pop against the relatively subdued backgrounds. Babu’s words—“These clothes are a part of our heritage”—hearten Ameena and will do the same for readers ... Kirkus

Payne does a wonderful job highlighting the inner conflict of identity in America, where one’s family and heritage are often viewed as “other” to white Americans.  Ameena initially hesitates to embrace what she truly finds beautiful because of the judgment of someone who doesn’t understand. With the support of those who do, she honors herself and takes pride in what she knows is right. The story is beautiful and tender, and while it is clearly written and centered for young Indian girls, it also serves as a good lesson for those outside of this culture. YS Book reviews

I do hope you can find, read and appreciate this book. I discovered it in the library where I work as a volunteer. The talented Teacher-Librarian uses international (and national) book lists and book awards to build her rich library collection. One of these lists is Inclusive Books for Children.

The judges said: For its sensitive and powerful exploration of belonging, cultural identity and difference, showing how children can embrace all parts of themselves. Its warm, gentle illustrations, rich narrative depth and “quiet power” were seen as emotionally resonant, educationally valuable and accessible to a wide range of children.

You will need a box of tissues when you read The Beautiful Layers of me. And I love the way this book can be both a mirror and a window. It could also be a fantastic way to talk about the power of words to harm but also heal. Take a look at my Pinterest collection called "She looks like me". 

If you are reading this book to a group in your school library you might like to talk about the salwar kameez worn by Ameena:

A salwar kameez is a traditional outfit originating from the Indian subcontinent, cherished for its comfort and elegance. It consists of three main parts: the kameez, a long tunic; the salwar, a pair of loose-fitting trousers; and often a dupatta, a matching long scarf. Widely worn in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, this versatile ensemble can be styled for everything from daily errands to formal weddings, making it a staple in wardrobes worldwide. 

• Kameez (The Tunic): This is the top part of the outfit. A kameez can vary in length from hip-length to ankle-length and comes in a multitude of cuts, necklines, and sleeve styles. 
• Salwar (The Trousers): These are the pants worn under the kameez. The traditional salwar is pleated and voluminous at the top, tapering to a narrow cuff at the ankle. However, this component has many modern variations. 
• Dupatta (The Scarf): A long, rectangular scarf, the dupatta adds a layer of grace and can be styled in numerous ways draped over one shoulder, both shoulders, or used as a head covering. While integral to traditional sets, some contemporary styles are worn without one. 

You can see more books by Sophia Payne here. Read this review from Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.

Here are other books illustrated by Ruchi Mhasane:

About Ruchi Mhasane: I'm an artist from India who has studied illustration at the Cambridge School of Art. I have always drawn pictures, but after my MA in Children's Book Illustration, I've realised that visual narratives are a form that I enjoy immensely and am very comfortable with. I love drawing figures, especially children, and I enjoy capturing their movements and gestures. I am now committed to a lifelong study of the form of a picture book, and to developing the way a book talks to a child (or even adult!) I hope to work on books with meaningful content that will delight and inspire young children, so they too can fall in love with books the way so many of us have.

Companion books:

Amma's Sari

Anna May's Blue Cloak by Christiane Cicioli illustrated by Susan Pearson

When she was a young girl Anna May's Grandmother made her a beautiful blue cloak. The fabric on the cover makes it look so tactile - perhaps it is velvet. Anna May is young and so for now the cloak is a perfect fit over her dress. But over time Anna May grows.

"Soon the cloak, still beautiful, was too small. Her mother carefully folded it up and put it away in her wooden chest."

Years later Anna May became a mum to a baby girl. Anna May remembered the beautiful cloak. Now is the time for the cloak to be used for another garment. You can see her here using her grandmother's sewing machine - my own little Nan had one just like this.

Anna May uses the cloak fabric to make a dress for her daughter, but she also carefully puts the left-over pieces back into the wooden chest. Anna May's daughter loves her dress but over time it becomes too small. Many years later Anna May's daughter had a baby - a son. Luckily there was enough fabric left from the cloak to make him a handsome blue jacket. 

Have you worked out the pattern here. YES - and then Anna May's son becomes a father.

"Anna May wanted him to stay warm ... she remembered her blue cloak ... she took out the fabric that was left after making the dress and the jacket."

I wonder what she made? And what about the tiny fragments of fabric that are still left over?

I have a friend who is volunteering at one of our local charity shops. She mentioned the idea of following the journey of a piece of clothing could be a great idea for a picture book - she needs to see this book.

You could also use this book to talk about family relationships and the way we can show this using a family tree. If I was sharing this book with a class, I would bring in a collection of things made by my grandmother Amy - a set of beautiful doll clothes including silk pyjamas, casual shorts with a matching top, a lace dressing gown and brown corduroy trousers. 

Anna May's Cloak is a Canadian picture book. It was published in 2013 but it is still available. If you are reading this close to the time, I have penned this post I found one copy available from an online Australian book seller for a great price - but they only have one copy. 

Christiane Cicioli, born in Quebec, has lived both in Canada and the United States. One of the most enjoyable activities she has shared with her family and three now grown children has been to hear and recount the tales and customs of grandparents, great-grandparents, and other relatives of previous generations. Those inspirational moments have become the source of her writing. After working with children in elementary schools for many years, she is now a freelance writer and translator. Susan Pearson lives in Vancouver, BC, with her husband Ed. She creates images for children's books and teaches watercolor painting classes.

Companion books:

The Copper Tin Cup

My forever dress

Hitty Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field

Hitty was published in 1929 and won the Newbery in 1930. I knew nothing about this book until I read 52 Monday's by Anna Ciddor in 2019. I have kept my eye out for a copy of Hitty so I was surprised and delighted to see a copy at a recent charity book sale. In fact there were two copies which is quite strange when you consider this is a very old children's classic from America - I wonder who owned these two copies here in Australia. 

Hitty is a wooden doll who passes through the hands of many different owners over the period of one hundred years. The exact dates are not stated but I think she was made in Maine in 1830 so she lives through the Civil war; the end of slavery; the advent of steam trains; the early days of motor cars and changes in fashion.

Fashion and clothing are an important part of this story and I imagine a child who read this book back in the 1930s or perhaps 1940s would have loved the way various owners keep making new clothes, some from very beautiful fabrics, for Hitty after all her adventures. The narrative follows a pattern where Hitty is owned by a child, a young girl, and then she is somehow lost or dropped or flung far away. She lives in various houses and settings all over the country and travels in sailing ships, trains, a steam ship, horse drawn carriages and a car. She tells her story as a memoir from her final home in an antique shop. Having lived with various children Hitty had learned to read and write so that's how she can share her story with her readers. 

The original illustrations for Hitty were by Dorothy P. Lathrop

Here is a brief plot summary from Wikipedia: The book details Hitty's adventures as she becomes separated from Phoebe and travels from owner to owner over the course of a century. She ends up living in locations as far-flung as Boston, New Orleans, India, and the South Pacific. At various times, she is lost at sea, hidden in a horsehair sofa, abandoned in a hayloft, part of a snake-charmer's act, and picked up by the famous writer Charles Dickens, before arriving at her new owner's summer home in Maine, which turns out to be the original Preble residence where she first lived. From there she is purchased at auction for a New York antique shop, where she sits among larger and grander dolls of porcelain and wax, and writes her memoirs.

How Rachel Field was inspired to write this book is a story in itself. She and her friend Dorothy Lathrop, an illustrator, had been eyeing a tiny wooden doll in a New York City antique shop. No larger than six inches, the calico-clad brown-skinned doll seemed to have so much character. At twenty-five dollars, quite a tidy sum back then, she was out of their budget. Finally, the two friends agreed to pool their money to purchase her, and at once, little Hitty stirred their imaginations. (source)

I think a modern child is probably unlikely to want to read Hitty - the historical references won't mean much to an Australian child of course but also at times some of the writing feels quite dated and even at times racist. My copy from Aladdin (1998) has very tiny print. I do like stories about dolls (my own favourite is Miss Happiness and Miss Flower by Rumer Godden) but as a child I am not sure Hitty would have appealed to me. As an adult I did find the whaling scenes very distressing and also I grew a little tired of the repeated plot pattern of with Hitty constantly (I think in every chapter) being lost and found.

In 1999 Rosemary Wells wrote a new edition of Hitty with illustrations by Susan Jeffers. I think the image below might be the one from under the dust jacket. Here is a detailed review which explains all the plot twists in the life of little Hitty (she is quite a tiny doll almost small enough to fit in a pocket). I have read a few other reviews of the Rosemary Wells edition and most readers who loved the original do not really like all the text changes. 

Fox and Sons Tailers by Paddy Donnelly

This idea seems so original to me. Tailers who make tails! You are sure, also, to enjoy all the tiny details in the illustrations. 

In the street scene you will see a shop called Harecuts and a stork delivery service. Among the myriad of city dweller animals I saw a koala, walrus, zebra, flamingo and several elephants. This reminded me of books illustrated by Australian illustrators - Andrew Joyner (The Swap), James Foley (Stellaphant), Gus Gordon (Herman and Rosie) and Tohby Riddle.

On the shelves of the tailer's workshop the book titles are so funny - The big book of tiny animal tails; Fairy Tails; Folk Tails; and The art of Tailering. Rory comes from a family with generations of tailers. Rory is learning the trade. Tails are needed for all sort of occasions - parties, weddings, starting school and so on. Rory, though, has become a little tired of the way every day is the same and the way his dad follows such strict tail making rules. Surely there is room for a little creativity. Rory sketches his ideas and then late at night he makes tails that are sure to be way more fun for the customers. 

One day an important customer arrives. He sees one of the tails created by Rory and in a lovely moment of affirmation his dad accepts that Rory does have wild and wonderful ideas. So, they set to work and make the customer the most amazing feather tail and the family business is saved and once again popular with all the people (animals) of the town. 

You can see inside this book here. I highly recommend adding this book to your school library. It is funny, yes and clever, yes, but it is also heartwarming to see dad accept Rory has really good, creative ideas - so further generations will enjoy their working years at Fox and Sons (and maybe even daughters) will join the family firm. 

Bookseller blurb: Rory's dad, Fox, is a tailer. The BEST in the business! Animals come from all over to have their tails made by him. Rory helps his dad in the shop and one of his jobs is measuring the customers for the tails - which isn't always easy! But Rory is bored of making the same old tails. He has his own amazing ideas ...

This is an absolutely beautiful, heart-warming book about the power of creativity and the special father-son relationship. It also reminds adults and children that we should never forget to try thinking outside the box every now and again. Paddy Donnelly’s illustrations are full of adorable detail, from lovely background touches to a cast of sweet, characterful animal characters. Book Trust

Paddy Donnelly is an Irish illustrator now living in Belgium. He has over 15 years' experience as an illustrator and designer, and especially loves working with a textured, painterly approach. With a fondness for illustrating the sea and animals, Paddy tries to inject a touch of humour to his work wherever he can. Coming from a graphic design background, Paddy is comfortable working in different illustration styles depending on the needs of the project.

Awards for Fox and Sons Tailers: 

• LAI Children's Book Awards: age 0-5 - 2023
• Literature Association of Ireland - Winner
• IBA2022-Shortlist-Kids-Junior
• Children's Book of the Year (Junior) - 2022
• Irish Book Awards - Short-listed
• Children's Picture Book Awards
• The English Association - Short-listed
• ULKA Book Awards: 3-6+
• UK Literacy Association - Short-listed

Here is an interview with the author. I was pleased to see he mentions our Shaun Tan and his book The Rules of Summer. 

Here are some other books by Paddy Donnelly:

The Spell Tailors by James Nicol

When I see the publisher Chicken House I know the book will be good. This book, The Spell Tailors also has an appealing cover and an intriguing blurb:

Hen dreams of becoming a spell tailor, stitching magic into clothing like his beloved Nana. But thanks to new factories, spell tailors are struggling. His Uncle Bertie’s fancy shop has shut down, and when he, Aunt Lucia and stuck-up cousin Connie move in, it’s a disaster for all the family. Then Hen stumbles upon a new kind of stitch – one which causes Nana and Bertie to ban him from sewing. What is the power of the stitch that can sew memories into clothes – and could it be the very thing to save them all?

I started The Spell Tailors just after lunch yesterday because it was a rainy day and early this morning i finished the whole book because I was so desperate for a happy ending.

Hen is short for Henryton but only his uncle uses this long form of his name. In the world of this book clothing is made by hand and extra special clothes have spells added for things like warmth, fit and to make a good impression. 

Spell stitches could infuse a garment with strange properties, from a summer dress or shirt to keep you cool on a hot day, to a glow stitch that made a garment shimmer and shine like the moon or a starlit night. These wonders and more resided in the Danelli family spell stitches. These were the secrets they brought to their garments – secrets that had secured their business for nearly 400 years. Hen opened the book, turning the cloth pages carefully. The stitches looked like ripples in water, circles within circles. Tilt your head just so and they looked a little like a spider’s web. More stitches connected the circles, like the spokes of a wheel.

Meanwhile there is a woman who has visited their shop. Hen is sure she is intending to bring trouble and this is confirmed when Hen and Connie follow Uncle Bertie to her factory. The scenes there felt like the ones I experienced in books like this:

Bread and Roses too

Counting on Grace

The nasty insect-like creatures Hen encounters when he travels through the memory are sure to remind you of Studio Ghibli films such as Howl's Moving Castle and My Neighbor Totoro.

You can read an extract of The Spell tailors here. And here is the web page for James Nicol. Listen to an audio sample. 

This book could be a terrific family read aloud ages 7-10 or you might listen to the audio version on a long car trip perhaps. There is also an understated message in this story about repairing our clothes not constantly purchasing new ones. 

It’s also nice to see a boy protagonist in this kind of family-focused, believing-in-yourself fantasy! While there’s plenty of excitement, this is generally quite a soft, cosy book, and I like seeing a boy who isn’t forced into a more ‘masculine’ action role, but is allowed to love his grandmother, worry about his friendship with his cousin, and enjoy his art! Hen is lovely, and his kindness, bravery, and perseverance make him a great, gentle role model. A Cat A Book and a Cup of Tea

This post is in memory of my mum who would be turning 103 tomorrow. She taught herself to sew and to use a knitting machine. Her sister and mother were very skilled with sewing and other crafts and I think she felt that she was in their shadow. I desperately wish I had said thank you and wow and well done over and over again when she made me the most gorgeous clothes and I also wish I could turn back time and take photos of so many of my favourites such as the orange paisley pant suit; my Heidi dress with the eyelet thread holes; the cream and red check dress with the patent leather belt; the beautiful pale green French wool machine knitted jumper; and the red dress with button front and circle skirt. If you are reading this - thanks mum. 

Sequins and Secrets - The House of Serendipity by Lucy Ivison illustrated by Catharine Collingridge

Myrtle Mathers has lost her tailor father and her mother has been forced to move back to Ireland. Myrtle has stayed in London and she is sent to work as a maid with the Cartwright family. It is 1926 and it is the debutante season. Sylvia Cartwright is too young to be "out" but her sister has been presented at court and she is now ready to attend a series of balls with the purpose of finding a wealthy husband. None of this interests Sylvia. She is more interested in drawing, especially drawing stage costumes and elaborate clothes.  When Myrtle arrives in their household it seems like the perfect match. Myrtle has worked with her father since she was a young child. She is a very skilled seamstress and she can interpret drawings in to patterns.

The problem here, though, is one of class.  Myrtle is a servant. Sylvia is a lady.  Myrtle cannot afford to loose her job but Sylvia is a wild girl who encourages Myrtle to take bigger and bigger risks - making a daring ball gown firstly for Sylvia's sister Delphine and then for Sylvia's friend Agapantha Portland-Price who wants to escape the world of debutantes and travel to the Amazon. Agapantha will attend her ball before she runs away but she is determined to wear pants - this is sure to cause a huge scandal. 

I also loved the clothing sketches and designs.

Here is a text quote to give you a flavour of this book. In this scene Agapantha is wearing her disguise so she looks like a young man when she sets off on the voyage to the Amazon.

"See how I am just eating away at this apple? Mother says ladies should never eat in public. I mean, I could go anywhere right now and no one would say a word. I could climb that tree without getting my skirt caught or being told off for being unladylike. I could buy a bicycle from Harrods and ride it right through the park. I feel like everyone looks at you differently, or more they don't even notice you."

This is a story which will really sweep you away to the glamorous times of the 1920s. There are some tiny issues of credibility in this story but really you just need to put these aside and just enjoy meeting Myrtle and Syliva. For example it seems quite impossible that Myrtle could work really hard all day in her job as a maid and then spend all night sewing very elaborate clothes. We know her fingers are worked until they are red raw but surely she did need some sleep. Her work certainly made me feel very tired.

The descriptions of the outfits are divine and to be coveted! My Shelves are Full

A charming tale of sisterhood woven together with fashion, history, and subterfuge. Kirkus

Full of historical detail, ‘Sequins and Secrets’ is also a story of great courage and determination- of having dreams and pursuing them.  North Somerset Teachers book Award

Here is an alternate cover:

This book is the first in a planned series.  Take a look at the Usborne Books trailer.  Book two will arrive in 2022 with the title Movie Stars and Mystery.

Companion reads - first off one for younger readers followed by two which would be perfect for readers aged 10+.

Rose's Dress of Dreams

The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow

The Truth about Verity Sparks

A hat for Mr Mountain by Soojin Kwak

Nora is a hat maker. I should at this point reveal my late mother's name was Nora and her sister really was a milliner (hat maker). In this story, Nora makes hats for everyone - dogs, foxes, and even giraffes. One day she receives an interesting letter. Mr Mountain has seen her hats and he wants Nora to make a hat as a protection from the winter snow.

Nora enlists the help of her friends and she makes a hat. It is a giant knitted hat. It fits really well but then it begins to rain. The wool shrinks and soon the hat is way too small. 

"But Nora didn't give up."

For her next attempt at hat making for the mountain she gathers hundreds of beautiful green leaves and she weaves them into a fresh green hat. Unfortunately this creation looks so delicious, greedy animals start to eat it before Nora even gets the chance to deliver this wonderful hat. 

Back to the problem. Wool shrinks and green leaves are eaten by the animals. What about wood? Oh no wood can burn. It's another hat disaster. Sadly this time Nora does give up but her wonderful friends do not. The perfect hat can be made from (spoiler alert) - clouds! Watching all of her forest friends collecting the clouds is a truly special scene.

This will be an excellent book to use with your youngest classes exploring topics and themes such as problem solving, creativity, kindness, team work and generosity. This is also a book to share sitting beside a young reading companion because there are so many tiny details to explore in the illustrations.

Here is a companion read:

Brimsby's Hats

Soojin Kwak won the Silent Book Prize at the Bologna book fair in 2019 for her book Starbuilders (Costruttori di Stelle). This is a silent or wordless book so it does not really need translating from Italian but as far as I can discover this book is not available here in Australia.

My Forever Dress by Harriet Ziefert illustrated by Liz Mrurphy

Did you watch the ABC television series here in Australia called "The War on Waste"? The episode that resonated most strongly with me was the one that focused on fashion waste. We have become, in the Western world, people who treat clothing as though it were fast food.  Here is an excellent segment from our ABC Television series BTN (Behind the News) which explains this issue to Primary students. Here is a set of activities to use with this video.

This is such an important topic and this book provides a perfect way to raise awareness of recycling our clothes for a very young reader. It is also a beautiful book that shows a grandmother sharing her skills and love with her grand daughter.

As the story begins our narrator is six years old and her beautiful (young looking) grandmother offers to make her a dress. I well remember my mum measuring me for the dresses she made. This new dress is splendid and the little girl enjoys wearing it to a party for her cousin.

One year later her grandmother suggests they should modify the dress.

"We need to do our part, ... we should use new material only if we have to. You're no wider, just taller, so let's start with what we have and add to it."

The new (modified) dress is perfect and especially comfortable when worn with pink leggins.

Another year goes by.

"Now I am eight. Grandma offers to make me a new dress, but I don't really want one. I like my old dress ... and I live helping the environment."

Grandma is a skilled seamstress. She pulls the dress apart and changes it again.

This time she also knits a sweater from wool purchased a "long long time" ago. The new outfit is perfect for her ninth birthday party (it's the one on the front cover) but:

"Now I am early ten. My shape is changing. I am growing all around. I ask Grandma to measure me for a new dress."  Her old dress with not go to waste, though. She offers it to her little cousin.

Here is a video of the whole book although sadly they did not include the glorious end papers. My forever Dress was published in 2009 so it is now out of print. I really love the art in this book but I haven't found many other books illustrated by Liz Murphy.

You could use My forever Dress as a focus for Earth Day or any unit of work on the environment. Here are some other books about recycling clothing.

Ship of Dolls - A friendship dolls book by Shirley Parenteau

My doll travels far,

Her arms open wide for hugs.

Will blossoms greet her?

Emily Grace glows,

Her warm smile carries friendship.

Sunlight after rain.

These are two Haiku poems by Lexie written as part of their class studies about Japanese culture. "It's just seventeen syllables. That's what haiku poems are. Seventeen syllables in three lines. They're supposed to be about nature and feelings."

Before you read about Ship of Dolls watch this short video.

Image source Bill Gordon http://wgordon.web.wesleyan.edu/dolls/exch1927/recjapan/nagadohe/index.htm

An extract from the blurb of Ship of Dolls:  "More than anything else, Lexie wants to be with her mother, a carefree singer in San Francisco. But Mama's new husband doesn't think a little girl should live with parents who work all night and sleep all day, so Lexie's been shipped off to her strict grandparents in Oregon."

The year is 1926 and at Lexie's new school the children are working on a project to send American dolls to Japan as ambassadors of friendship. Community groups and schools have raised money to buy the dolls, dress them and organise their transportation to San Francisco. From there nearly 12,000 dolls will be shipped to Japan.

Lexie (Electra) discovers there is a competition and the child who wins will accompany their school doll from Oregon to San Francisco. This is her chance to reunite with her Mama. In order to write about their school's doll, called Emily Grace, Lexie needs to hold her and look into her eyes but doing this means breaking rules, punishment and disappointments.

Ship of Dolls is based on a real event from the 1920s as you can see from the video above. I really appreciate reading books where an author takes a fragment of history and develops it into a narrative.  Other examples of this would be Hanna's suitcase and The Goose Road.  I also really love the cover for Ship of Dolls. I have mentioned the work of Kelly Murphy several times on this blog. She also did the covers for Signed by Zelda and See Saw Girl.

Here is a set of discussion notes and teaching ideas from the author Shirley Parenteau along with more plot details. You can listen to an audio sample of the first chapter here.  You can also read the first chapter on the Candlewick web site. There are two further books in the Friendship Dolls series - see covers below.

In this 1927 news article from Japan there is information about this project and if you are interested you can read more details and even see a commemorative stamp here.  Listen to a song in Japanese about the dolls and the quote here from a speech when the 58 dolls were sent as a reciprocal gift from Japan.

I am glad to present to the children of America in the name of Japanese children fifty-eight dolls. Last spring the American children sent many lovely dolls to Japan They brought your goodwill and friendship. Our little girls were very happy to receive these gifts and are having a good time with them.

Japanese children are very anxious to be your friends, and these fifty-eight dolls have come here to bring this wish from two million and half children in my country.

We hope that you will like these messengers of friendship, and that they will received into your homes as beloved members of your families. 

Miss Masa Matsudaira, daughter of Ambassador Matsudaira 1927 Washington, D.C.

Period details from the actual 1926 exchange of Friendship Dolls provide fascinating context for this old-fashioned heroine’s journey of personal growth.  Kirkus