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Every little girl plays dress up in her mother's clothes and imagines that she would be as beautiful as her mother if she were tall enough or old enough. Of particular interest in Mom's closet, of course, are the party clothes and accessories - hats, jewelry, scarves, belts and shows. Mama's Saris, written by Pooja Makhijani and illustrated by Elena Gomez, warmly tells this rite-of-passage story from a young Indian girl's perspective.

Instead of in the closet, the Mama of this story keeps her treasured special clothing in a suitcase under the bed, carefully and lovingly folded. It is the little girl's 7th birthday and Mama is preparing to dress for the party. As the little girl helps her Mama choose the sari for today's special event, she begs and pleads to wear a sari herself. The vibrant jewel tones of the saris themselves are set against other dense patterns in the backgrounds of the bedroom wall, a photo frame and bedspread. The wonderful array of patterns emphasize the importance and beauty of special occasions when you change from your ordinary self (in this case a blue shirt and jumper) to your beautiful, festive self. For many children, this book will be their first introduction to clothing and family tradition from another culture than their own.

At heart, it is a retelling of a story that children will find familiar - most having experienced some variation of it in their own homes. Taking a familiar story to a broader canvas is one of the great joys that a picture book can provide. Mama's Saris is terrific reminder to all of us of the universality of our life experiences no matter where we live.

You know, sometimes you just have to call it a tiara day. There is something about wearing a tiara that lifts your spirits and sends you out into life with an entirely new attitude. I have several tiaras in my collection, but the silver one with the pink boa trim is my favorite.

Nancy, in Fancy Nancy written by Jane O'Connor and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser, is just the sort of girl who internalizes the tiara philosophy of life. From the tip of her tiara to the toes of her pink high heels she is the epitome of "fancy" and makes it her mission to transform her family from plain to fancy. Obviously good sports and full of playful indulgence to their fancy daughter, they dress up to the nines and descend upon the local diner in full regalia. Glasser's illustrations are fabulous and carry the story well, but the one that will make you laugh out loud is turning the page to see Nancy and her family burst through the door of "The King's Crown" with sunglasses, feathers, tiaras, canes, ruffles, bows, fans and attitude firmly in place. Of course they are greeted with gasps from the assembled diners "who probably think we're movie stars". It is a terrific moment with a priceless illustration.

The ensuing adventure is a bit predictable for adults, but still very fun because of our heroine and her wonderful family. This family has such a great sense of play, you really want to be IN her family.Dress up girls of all ages will love this book. ISBN 978-0-06-054209, Harper Collins.

Mama's Saris by Pooja Makhijani; illustrated by Elena Gomez. Copy supplied by author. Picture book.

The Plot:

A little girl wants to wear her mother's dress-up clothes. After all, she is grown up -- she's seven! And she's having a party -- so why not dress up in one of her mother's saris? As the girl helps her mother pick out which one of the special saris to wear that day, she holds out hope that Mama will say yes, she can dress up.

The Good:

I enjoyed that this is a story that is both unique (the saris, with details such as "The folds and nooks of Nanima's saris hold lots of secrets. I always find coins tied into the ends of safety pins fastened on the inside, and I smell the scent of cardamom and sandalwood soap all over"); yet universal (a child wanting to dress up in her mother's clothes).

I like the mother/daughter (and mother/daughter/grandmother) interaction in the book (which is why, yes, I'm actually organized enough to post this on Mother's Day!)*. In part because the narrator is older (7), and also the cultural information found within the text, this would work well as a read aloud for older kids.

I loved the illustrations; they spill out over the pages, much like the saris themselves. The colors and patterns of the saris fill the pages; I think the magenta one with deer is my favorite. The author's interview at Mitali's Fire Escape gives some insight on how Makhijani worked with the illustrator to ensure cultural accuracy. Oh! And there's an author's note and glossary, including the helpful information that there is no one way to wear a sari ("The style, color, and texture of this cloth vary and it can be draped in many ways, depending on the woman's status, age, occupation, and religion, as well as the region where the woman lives.")

Final point: If you have the opportunity to attend one of Pooja's workshops, do so! She's a great speaker and I was just floored by the amount of information (translation: stuff I didn't know and didn't think about) in her More Than Monkeys, Maharajahs, and Mangoes: An Overview of South Asian Literature for Kids presentation. (Love the title... If I was ever doing a presentation on Irish Lit for Kids, I'd use the title, More Than Leprechauns, the Famine, and Drunks. Doesn't sound quite as good as Pooja's; I'll have to work on that....)

Links:

Teacher's Guide
Saffron Tree review
Chicken Spaghetti review and Makhijani as guest columnist
Sepia Mutiny review
A Fuse #8 Production review
SAJAForum interview
Book Moot review