#365PictureBooks 58. Yellow Dress Day by Michelle Worthington, illustrated by Sophie Norsa

Worthington, M., & Norsa, S. (2013). Yellow Dress Day. Frenchs Forest, Australia: New Frontier.

ISBN: 9781921042102
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 5 stars

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One whistling, whirly, windy morning, leaves tumbled and danced in the backyard.  Ava and her puppy wanted to go out and play.  But Ava's favourite coloured dress was missing. 

This is the story about a young girl who has a different dress in every colour of the rainbow.  She wears a dress in the colour of her mood and how she 'feels' about the day.  Red dress days are when the sun shines on cracked, dry roads.  Pink dress days are when the flowers open up and the bees buzz and hum.  Purple dress days are when the rain comes down from the rumble and tumble of the clouds.  Blue dress days are all about the snowflakes swishing and swirling in the cold air.  And Yellow dress days are when the wind whistles through the trees.    

Told using fantastic descriptive text with some different shaped font to give emphasis on the words.  The wide spacing between the lines makes this a story that beginning readers can easily follow, while the different coloured font & shapes make it interesting.

The illustrations perfectly match the descriptive text.  On their own the illustrations are just gorgeous.  Combined with the text they create a story that children can relate what they are hearing or reading to what they are seeing.  

Although the message in this story is about a young girl with Rett Syndrome, many children will perceive it as a story about weather and the seasons and how these days make you feel.  Regardless of what children understand the message or story to be about, it is a gorgeous gorgeous story and well worth adding to your collection.

A lovely story with a gentle message about children with Asperger's or Rett syndrome.  There is a paragraph on the publication page with some information about Rett syndrome.  

This is also a good exemplar to use for descriptive story writing, and how the different seasons 'feel'.

I got my copy of Yellow Dress Day from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

Woops, I couldn't find a copy at Napier Libraries.