photo by shoshanah www.flickr.com
*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders
*Princess Bess as main character
Rating: Little girls who love princesses will love Princess Bess Gets Dressed, especially little girls who love princesses and underwear! 
(Now, I’ve peaked your interest, right?)
Short, short summary:
Princess Bess has a busy schedule. She has to dine on muffins with the queen, go to dance class, attend a joust, play chess, and much more. For each task or event, she has to change into a different outfit, of course, but she’s got a secret. She really likes to wear one thing best–and she doesn’t tell the reader what it is until the very end of the story. Well, and I’m not going to tell you either!
So, what do I do with this book?
1. This is a great book to practice prediction skills. In the beginning, Princess Bess tells readers that she has a secret about what she likes to wear best. But then she never gets to tell us because she is so busy. So ask students or family members to predict what her favorite outfit is. Write down predictions. Read the end of the book and see who is right.
2. Princess Bess Gets Dressed has a lot of fun rhymes. Ask children which pair of rhyming words is their favorite and then create your own sentences with these words. For example, one pair of rhyming words in the book is chess and dress. You could make up a sentence like: When I wear my blue dress, I like to play chess. Students will have fun making up new sentences with Margery Cuyler’s words as a starting point.
3. Ask students what their favorite clothes are to wear. Do they have a favorite shirt? Pajamas? Shoes? Send a note home to parents and ask them to bring in a photo of their children dressed in a favorite outfit. Children can paste or tape this photo to construction paper, write a sentence or two about their clothes, and decorate the paper for a unique wall display. If children forget photos, have a camera available, so you can take a picture of the student. You can easily do this activity at home with your children, too, if you home school.
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