What do you think?
Rate this book
Every-Day Dress-Up
It's no secret that little girls love playing dress up, but the little girl in this book ditches her princess duds in favor of costumes inspired by great women in history.
Now dressing up is an adventure
When, every day of the week,
I am a daring new dame!
From Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to chef extraordinaire Julia Child to queen of jazz Ella Fitzgerald, our protagonist pays homage to the women who came before her and imagines herself in their shoes. Maybe someday she'll inspire little girls with her own gown of greatness.
Now dressing up is an adventure
When, every day of the week,
I am a daring new dame!
From Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to chef extraordinaire Julia Child to queen of jazz Ella Fitzgerald, our protagonist pays homage to the women who came before her and imagines herself in their shoes. Maybe someday she'll inspire little girls with her own gown of greatness.
32 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 2011
1 person is currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Selina Alko
28Ìýbooks31ÌýfollowersIt is no wonder that award-winning writer-illustrator Selina Alko now spends her days melding words and mixed-media art to convey stories of hope and inspiration—as well as an alternative viewpoint. Growing up in Vancouver, British Columbia with a Turkish Jewish father who spoke seven languages and taught painting, and a Jewish mother who worked in the family’s century-old metal recycling business, she was surrounded by the melody of words and stories from different places and varied visual possibilities.
When Selina was in elementary school her entire family would attend her father’s painting class where they learned about 19th Century Impressionists and German Expressionists and were asked to chose paintings and copy them using acrylics. Not only was this a fascinating art history lesson, but it also taught her about the emotional use of color and instilled in her a deep appreciation for painting.
Aside from art, Selina’s childhood was also filled with books; Richard Scarry, Curious George, and anything by Judy Blume were a few of her favorites, and summers were spent at a Jewish sleep-away camp where her social activist spirit was ignited—as well as a love of folk music.
The skills her parents imparted to her as a child, the creative environment that supported them, and the diverse worldview she was privy to, have inspired and fueled her ever since and are evident in her many children's books. Some of her award-winning books include: The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage, B is for Brooklyn, Daddy Christmas & Hanukkah Mama, I is for Immigrants, and Joni: The Lyrical Life of Joni Mitchell.
“Write what is closest to your heart. What do you care about? What excites you? What makes you feel sad?� said Selina when asked what advice she would give to an aspiring writer.
Now as the mother of two children, Selina looks to carry on some of the traditions that encouraged her talents and worldview by holding “family art nights.� Her son loves to create detailed, realistic drawings of rap and hip-hop artists; her daughter is more free form and uses bold colors and broad brush strokes to create her works. It fills Selina with pride and wonderment as her kids learn to express themselves and cultivate a love of art.
Selina continues to find inspiration in the world around her, whether it’s the streets of Brooklyn, where she has lived for more than 20 years, her native Canada, or the small but universal experiences of a child as she watches her kids grow up.
When she’s not working on a new project, Selina enjoys reading, traveling, hiking, collaging in her sketchbook, and dance-walking in Prospect Park.
When Selina was in elementary school her entire family would attend her father’s painting class where they learned about 19th Century Impressionists and German Expressionists and were asked to chose paintings and copy them using acrylics. Not only was this a fascinating art history lesson, but it also taught her about the emotional use of color and instilled in her a deep appreciation for painting.
Aside from art, Selina’s childhood was also filled with books; Richard Scarry, Curious George, and anything by Judy Blume were a few of her favorites, and summers were spent at a Jewish sleep-away camp where her social activist spirit was ignited—as well as a love of folk music.
The skills her parents imparted to her as a child, the creative environment that supported them, and the diverse worldview she was privy to, have inspired and fueled her ever since and are evident in her many children's books. Some of her award-winning books include: The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage, B is for Brooklyn, Daddy Christmas & Hanukkah Mama, I is for Immigrants, and Joni: The Lyrical Life of Joni Mitchell.
“Write what is closest to your heart. What do you care about? What excites you? What makes you feel sad?� said Selina when asked what advice she would give to an aspiring writer.
Now as the mother of two children, Selina looks to carry on some of the traditions that encouraged her talents and worldview by holding “family art nights.� Her son loves to create detailed, realistic drawings of rap and hip-hop artists; her daughter is more free form and uses bold colors and broad brush strokes to create her works. It fills Selina with pride and wonderment as her kids learn to express themselves and cultivate a love of art.
Selina continues to find inspiration in the world around her, whether it’s the streets of Brooklyn, where she has lived for more than 20 years, her native Canada, or the small but universal experiences of a child as she watches her kids grow up.
When she’s not working on a new project, Selina enjoys reading, traveling, hiking, collaging in her sketchbook, and dance-walking in Prospect Park.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
Read
May 21, 2011It is hard to rate certain books. This one has some fun features - At the back end of the book there is a picture book with dress up clothing and a bio list of all the women noted in the book. However, the end kind of made me think..."And when I'm older, I hope to have my own outstanding outfit, so that little girls will sport costumes of me!" (taken from F & G) Question - Do I want girls to emulate someone because of who they are or what they wear? What is the message being sent here?
I would likely recommend by Jennifer Fosberry. Similar theme but focus is more on who these incredible women were.
I would likely recommend by Jennifer Fosberry. Similar theme but focus is more on who these incredible women were.
February 5, 2020
I really loved that this story showed a little girl using her imagination to recreate stories of great women leaders! Also included at the end of the book was a brief biographical paragraph on each woman highlighted and a "further reading" section for those who would like to read more. I do wish that there had been a page, however, saying it was ok for girls to dress like princesses sometimes, too. Especially since the story starts with the girl saying she used to dress like a princess but now she doesn't. The great part about being a kid is that one day you can be a future Supreme Court Justice and the next day you can be Cinderella - anything is possible with imaginative play!
September 1, 2013
This book starts out with, "I used to only play princess. Until Mommy showed me pictures. And told me stories of real, great women," and then continues to introduce young girls to accomplished, famous women as the protagonist dresses up as a few and briefly introduces them (there are more detailed introductions at the back of the book for each of the featured women). I really love the message of this book: that little girls should be inspired by real heroines, instead of just fairy-tale inspired, or Disney-created heroines.
October 16, 2017
This book would be perfect to read to a young girl or girls. It follows a young girl that used to dress up as a princess every day, but then found out there were more amazing women in the world than just an imaginary princess. As the story goes on it shows the young girl dressing up like Amelia Earhart, Julia Childs, and Marie Curie. This shows young readers that women can do anything. It shows young female readers that they are able to break the gender barrier and become something great like any one of these women they talk about in this book. One thing that I really liked about this book is in the back it gives a paragraph explanation of each of the famous women. It gives the reader a little history even after they are done reading the story. It was a very nice story. It had great illustrations following along with the book.
October 19, 2017
Biography - 2011
This book was really great. It was still girly and cute, but also incorporated an important message to girls about who they should be idolizing. Rather than dressing up like Disney princesses, the little girl in this book dresses up like great women who have accomplished amazing things in their life. The ending encourages girl to strive to accomplish great things in their life as well.
The last two pages have images of the women mentioned in the book and a few more sentences about what they accomplished. Great book for girls.
This book was really great. It was still girly and cute, but also incorporated an important message to girls about who they should be idolizing. Rather than dressing up like Disney princesses, the little girl in this book dresses up like great women who have accomplished amazing things in their life. The ending encourages girl to strive to accomplish great things in their life as well.
The last two pages have images of the women mentioned in the book and a few more sentences about what they accomplished. Great book for girls.
October 21, 2018
This book is about how a little girl dresses up in costume everyday as a different influential woman. In this book, the author talks about these women in a way that is easy for children to understand. I love this book because I think it’s important for children, especially young girls, to learn about some of the most influential women in history. I also like this book because it ends with the little girl saying that she hopes other girls look up to her when she gets older. I like this because I think this is how girls should be thinking, even at a young age.
April 4, 2018
Little girl likes to play dress up princess style. Then her mom tells her stories about strong important women. Now she dresses up like them. Amelia Earhart, Ella Fitzgerald, etc. At the end of the story she says someday she wants to do something important so that little girls will want to dress up as her someday. Backmatter is excellent.
March 19, 2019
I actually thought this book was pretty cool, and I can totally see my little sister do something like this. My little sister loves dressing up as a princess and I feel like I told her all about famous people she can dress like she for-sure can. I also love how the little girl wants people to dress like her when she is older because she is dressing like everybody else.
February 18, 2021
I very much enjoyed this book. While I don't feel there is anything wrong with dressing up like a princess, I do appreciate showing young girls and boys that they can be anything. I loved how it featured smart, brave, trailblazing women and provided brief bios for each one at the end. I also liked that they offered further reading recommendations.
February 10, 2018
Saw this title on a book review email. Seems like a good alternative to never ending princess dress up.
April 10, 2021
A cute story that encourages girls to dress up as figures other than princesses.
August 19, 2022
I love this this book gives girls many other role models besides just princesses.
November 22, 2023
Cute, but felt a bit forced. I like the idea, but the execution is disjointed.
August 29, 2013
Picture Book Project
Picture Book Soak- One more that caught my attention
This book will entice readers because of the many colors and the different notable women that are mentioned throughout the book. It's about a girl who plays dress up and pretends to be all these different women and many kids do this so they will be able to relate.
The colors on the cover are very girly. It is mostly pink so I think it'll attract more girls than boys. The title, however, may be what intrigues the boys to read the book since they can relate to playing dress up. The back of the book is blue with a cardboard airplane and the sentence: Dressing up is an adventure every day of the week! This may also interest young boys to read the book even though the front cover is mostly pink. There are so many colors throughout the book and the font used is big and the text isn't very long on each page so it's an easy-read book. The medium used is gouache and collage. The artwork is very cartoon-like.
My personal reaction to this book was that I really liked it. It's very informational and fun to read at the same time. I'm glad they incorporated all of these important women in a way that children can relate to (by playing dress up). I think the book is easier to catch the eyes of little girls rather than boys because of the colors and the fact that it's about playing dress up as other women, but these iconic ladies will be ladies that even little boys need to learn about. Some of the women mentioned, I don't even know--like Maria, Prima Ballerina--but at the end of the book, there are short biographies of every woman mentioned so you can learn a little more about them.
There are a couple ways you can use this book in the classroom. One is for a history lesson--learn about these women and how they have impacted our lives. Another quick lesson is learning the days of the week. Each day the little girl dresses up as a different woman. You can teach about each day of the week and how to spell it.
Picture Book Soak- One more that caught my attention
This book will entice readers because of the many colors and the different notable women that are mentioned throughout the book. It's about a girl who plays dress up and pretends to be all these different women and many kids do this so they will be able to relate.
The colors on the cover are very girly. It is mostly pink so I think it'll attract more girls than boys. The title, however, may be what intrigues the boys to read the book since they can relate to playing dress up. The back of the book is blue with a cardboard airplane and the sentence: Dressing up is an adventure every day of the week! This may also interest young boys to read the book even though the front cover is mostly pink. There are so many colors throughout the book and the font used is big and the text isn't very long on each page so it's an easy-read book. The medium used is gouache and collage. The artwork is very cartoon-like.
My personal reaction to this book was that I really liked it. It's very informational and fun to read at the same time. I'm glad they incorporated all of these important women in a way that children can relate to (by playing dress up). I think the book is easier to catch the eyes of little girls rather than boys because of the colors and the fact that it's about playing dress up as other women, but these iconic ladies will be ladies that even little boys need to learn about. Some of the women mentioned, I don't even know--like Maria, Prima Ballerina--but at the end of the book, there are short biographies of every woman mentioned so you can learn a little more about them.
There are a couple ways you can use this book in the classroom. One is for a history lesson--learn about these women and how they have impacted our lives. Another quick lesson is learning the days of the week. Each day the little girl dresses up as a different woman. You can teach about each day of the week and how to spell it.
June 25, 2015
When looking for a quality character education book, I began to think about the values that I maintained, and what values I want my students to have. Each text that we choose to read exposes us to values, and is often indicative of values in a culture. Many books continue while have merit in it's purpose often perpetuate gender norms in a patriarchal society. I like this book because it introduces young girls something different. It is a play on a game that is for "girls," a game called dress-up. Typically when girls play dress up they wear princess outfits, try on heels, and put on makeup. In this book, the author exposes young girls to women throughout history who did not wear a princess gown, and did not live in a castle.
Selina Alko highlights women who have been innovators, and political advocates. Some of these women include suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Chef Julia Child, and aviator Amelia Earhart. This book exposes children to real women in history, and can teach young girls what are some traits in women that we should truly value. Rather than girls wanting to be a princess for Halloween, they might just want to be aviator Amelia Earhart. It is also exposure to some women history, and appreciation of what women have contributed to society. It is important for young girls to be aware, but also for young boys to witness. I also appreciate that this book doesn't just highlight the typical famous STEM women, but also women who have made a difference even in the culinary world. However, the message and concept of the book isn't fully executed as well as I would imagine. While there is a lot of information about the women in the back of the book, the book mostly focuses on the actual gear the women wore. I would definitely include this book in my classroom and be sure that we discussed who these women were.
Selina Alko highlights women who have been innovators, and political advocates. Some of these women include suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Chef Julia Child, and aviator Amelia Earhart. This book exposes children to real women in history, and can teach young girls what are some traits in women that we should truly value. Rather than girls wanting to be a princess for Halloween, they might just want to be aviator Amelia Earhart. It is also exposure to some women history, and appreciation of what women have contributed to society. It is important for young girls to be aware, but also for young boys to witness. I also appreciate that this book doesn't just highlight the typical famous STEM women, but also women who have made a difference even in the culinary world. However, the message and concept of the book isn't fully executed as well as I would imagine. While there is a lot of information about the women in the back of the book, the book mostly focuses on the actual gear the women wore. I would definitely include this book in my classroom and be sure that we discussed who these women were.
March 5, 2012
In this charming new picture book perfect for Women's History Month, author Selina Alko celebrates great women of history through one small girl's imagination and offers an alternative to the princess onslaught. The book opens as follows:
"I used to only play princess/ until Mommy showed me pictures/ and told me stories of real, great women.
Now dressing up is an adventure/ when, every day of the week,/ I am a daring new dame!"
Each day of the week, our heroine dresses up as a different famous woman, including Amelia, First Lady of Flight, Ella, Queen of Jazz, Marie, Star-Studded Scientist, and Frida, Prized Painter. She even marches in a parade with her flag as Elizabeth, Super Suffragist! The colorful and whimsical illustrations show a child dressed up in costumes anyone could easily copy at home, and best of all, the little girl is even depicted putting away all her props and costumes (The clean-up song from Barney went through my head at that point in the story!) The story concludes with an inspirational message, "And when I'm older, I hope/ to have my own outstanding outfit,/so that little girls will sport costumes of me!"
Back matter includes brief biographies of the great women mentioned in the text, as well as a short list of picture books on some of the women in the book. Endpapers offer paper-doll costumes and a paper doll, which could be color copied to be played with without destroying the book.
This is a delightful alternative to the plethora of princess books being published these days, and a great choice for preschoolers or early elementary school students.
"I used to only play princess/ until Mommy showed me pictures/ and told me stories of real, great women.
Now dressing up is an adventure/ when, every day of the week,/ I am a daring new dame!"
Each day of the week, our heroine dresses up as a different famous woman, including Amelia, First Lady of Flight, Ella, Queen of Jazz, Marie, Star-Studded Scientist, and Frida, Prized Painter. She even marches in a parade with her flag as Elizabeth, Super Suffragist! The colorful and whimsical illustrations show a child dressed up in costumes anyone could easily copy at home, and best of all, the little girl is even depicted putting away all her props and costumes (The clean-up song from Barney went through my head at that point in the story!) The story concludes with an inspirational message, "And when I'm older, I hope/ to have my own outstanding outfit,/so that little girls will sport costumes of me!"
Back matter includes brief biographies of the great women mentioned in the text, as well as a short list of picture books on some of the women in the book. Endpapers offer paper-doll costumes and a paper doll, which could be color copied to be played with without destroying the book.
This is a delightful alternative to the plethora of princess books being published these days, and a great choice for preschoolers or early elementary school students.
November 23, 2011
Being a mother of a little girl who loves to dress up, I loved the concept of this book. The little girl dresses up each of the week and pretends to go on the adventures of the prestige women she's pretending to be. While as I grown up, I knew who these amazing women are, they were totally lost to my little girl. Young girls would know more about these women than young preschool aged girls. I do love the concept that dress can be more than just Disney princesses. I'm a little torn on how to recommend this book. It's geared towards preschool aged kids, yet the content of the book is more of girls in elementary school. I like that the respected women through out history who are mentioned in this story are included in a biography in the back of the book.
January 3, 2012
A little girl loves playing princess dress-up but when her mom shows her a book with pictures of famous women, she dresses up like a different one of them each day. The girl names the days of the week and usually one phrase about the famous woman she dresses up as. Best suited for kindergarten through second graders, but even they will not be familiar with most of the famous women mentioned in the text. Vocabulary and context are very specific to each famous lady, so some explanation by adults may be necessary. An appendix contains a paragraph about each famous lady mentioned in the story.
July 22, 2012
This book seems like a really poor copy of by . I like that it tries to match the brilliance of Ms. Fosberry's book however it falls short in my opinion. It is excellent at mixing a bit of history and girl power into a cute story. I really like the variety of historical figures. The illustrations mixed with collage is also very interesting.
May 27, 2014
I loved, loved, loved the concept of this book. The execution, not so much.
The book seemed a bit schizophrenic. It wants to be a preschooler's picture book according to the illustrations, which even include paper dolls costumes, and it wants to be an Early Grade picture book according to the text. I actually would have gone further in the text to include the full names of the women and why they were important and then give more details in the back as the author did.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars, but I rounded up for the wonderful concept.
The book seemed a bit schizophrenic. It wants to be a preschooler's picture book according to the illustrations, which even include paper dolls costumes, and it wants to be an Early Grade picture book according to the text. I actually would have gone further in the text to include the full names of the women and why they were important and then give more details in the back as the author did.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars, but I rounded up for the wonderful concept.
July 29, 2016
Finally, a perfect picture book about "real, great women" appropriate for the pre-school and early elementary set! Instead of playing "only" princess, the young narrator - after hearing true-life stories from her mother - now spends each day dressing up as a different woman in history, having daring adventures as the First Lady of Flight, the Queen of Jazz, and Star-Studded Scientist, to name a few.
January 15, 2012
A mom gives her daughter a book of famous women who have made big accomplishments to teach her daughter there are others to aspire to be besides princesses. I may have loved this book more because I understood who each of the women was and because I could use an occasional reminder to filter how many princess-theme stories enter our home. It would be a great book for older Elementary school girls who are ready to learn about historical figures.
November 25, 2012
I like the concept of this book, but the pictures are a little busy. It would be the adults role to give the child more information about the important women mentioned in this book. Also, I'd be worried that a child would think it was bad to dress up like a princess, because it's not, that is a very valid way of playing. Maybe the book would have been enhanced by adding a strong woman that was a princess that had done something great (like Queen Emma of Hawaii starting a public hospital).
April 18, 2013
I really liked this book. The story and illustrations were both cute and it had the added bonus of being education: the little girl in the story used to dress up only to play princess, but once her mom introduced her to books featuring stories about women from history, she started role-playing, instead. Over a seven-day week, she dresses up as seven different women; each of the women (and a few others) have mini-biographies at the end of the book. :-)
October 6, 2013
This book is great for Women's History Month. This little girl always dressed up as a Disney Princess until one day her mom told her that she didn't always have to be a princess. Her mom told her stories about all the amazing women so she decided that she was going to dress up like Amelia, First Lady of Flight, Ella, Queen of Jazz, Marie, Star-Studded Scientist, and Frida, Prized Painter. It's really inspiring for young girls it shows them they can be anything their heart desires.
April 27, 2012
I have to agree with many of the other views. I loved the concept of this book, teaching young girls about famous women and what they did. The content of the book is really more elementary school age, including choice of vocabulary. Yet it looks like it's geared toward preschool through K. This would be a good beginning to read.
September 25, 2012
Perfect picture book to help stoke the imaginations and ambitions of the little girls in your life. Colorful, fun, and with social commentary. The mini biographies in the book of the famous women mentioned throughout definitely makes Every Day Dress Up a welcome addition to any personal library. I intend on buying this book for my daughters and reading it at every story time I get!
September 18, 2013
The little girl in this picture book ditches her princess duds in favor of costumes inspired by great women in history. I think PK-3 will enjoy this book. It reminds me of My Name is Not Isabella. I like the illustrations. Could be used for history or biographies or as a tie in with imagination and/or costumes. I think it will be appealing to girls with dress-up and princess being used.
December 3, 2013
This is a story about a girl who loves to dress up. But instead of your everyday, little girl, princess dress up costumes, she dresses in costumes of great women in american history like, Ella Fitzgerald and Sonia Satmoyer. I think this is a great book because its like we travel through time watching her dress in all these different women from different periods of history.
October 27, 2011
A little girl likes to dress up as a princess but one day she decides to dress up a bit differently. She is the famous pilot Amelia Earhart and then she dresses up as other famous women through history.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.