The Bora-Bora Dress

It takes a special kind of dress to get Lindsay to change her ways in this lyrical tale told with sprightly illustrations.

Slish — the dress slid off its hanger. Lindsay read the little tag inside: "Made in Bora-Bora for you."

Fabulous Aunt Fiona is throwing an end-of-the-summer, snazzy, ritzy party, and Lindsay can't wait to go. There’s just one hitch: she has to wear a dress, and Lindsay never ever ever wears a dress. She wears her baggy shorts to run on the beach. She wears her patch overalls to jump in piles of leaves. But that's before Lindsay sees a wonderful sundress shaped like a wedge of pie, with a parrot painted on front that seems to wink at her. If Lindsay goes to the party in a dress from a magical island far away, who can predict what will happen?

It takes a special kind of dress to get Lindsay to change her ways in this lyrical tale told with sprightly illustrations.

Slish — the dress slid off its hanger. Lindsay read the little tag inside: "Made in Bora-Bora for you."

Fabulous Aunt Fiona is throwing an end-of-the-summer, snazzy, ritzy party, and Lindsay can't wait to go. There’s just one hitch: she has to wear a dress, and Lindsay never ever ever wears a dress. She wears her baggy shorts to run on the beach. She wears her patch overalls to jump in piles of leaves. But that's before Lindsay sees a wonderful sundress shaped like a wedge of pie, with a parrot painted on front that seems to wink at her. If Lindsay goes to the party in a dress from a magical island far away, who can predict what will happen?

Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz - Children's Literature

When Lindsay is invited to her Aunt Fiona's snazzy party, she wants to go, but has a problem. She never ever wears a dress, but her mother insists she has to for this party. At Miss Beeline's Girls' Shop, Lindsay looks at all kinds of dresses she thinks are silly. But then she sees an amazing dress, with a parrot in a flowering tree on it, and a tag that says "Made in Bora-Bora for you." She agrees to take it home. Aunt Fiona tells her that Bora-Bora is an island in the South Seas, with flowering trees, winking parrots, and "people who make wonderful things." At the party, as Lindsay dances, even sings, the dress seems to come alive with magic. She has done everything "the best" at the party in the dress she feels was made especially for her. Bright watercolors and elongated figures create the spirited, dreamy quality of Lindsay's transformation—temporary perhaps—from tomboy to young lady. A large, elegant typeface and lots of white background also contribute to the twirling emotional "swish/swoosh" of the visual narrative. The dress is truly magical enough to set anyone dancing. 2005, Candlewick Press, Ages 4 to 8.

Carole Lexa Schaefer is the author of many acclaimed picture books for children, including FULL MOON BARNYARD DANCE, illustrated by Christine Davenier and DOWN IN THE WOODS AT SLEEPYTIME, illustrated by Vanessa Cabban. She says, "The Bora-Bora Dress was inspired by a strong-minded little friend of mine who loved to read so much, she began when she was three." Carole Lexa Schaefer is the founder and director of a preschool in Seattle.

Catherine Stock has illustrated many celebrated books for children, including JUSTIN AND THE BEST BISCUITS IN THE WORLD by Mildred Pitts Walter, a Coretta Scott King Award winner; the Gus and Grandpa series by Claudia Mills; and her own A SPREE IN PAREE. Catherine Stock lives in New York City and France.