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Bill's New Frock
Bill's New Frock Fine, Anne and Dupasquier, Philippe
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
33 people are currently reading
688 people want to read
About the author
Anne Fine
393 books289 followersThough readers often find themselves inadvertently laughing aloud as they read Anne Fine's novels, as she herself admits, "a lot of my work, even for fairly young readers, raises serious social issues. Growing up is a long and confusing business. I try to show that the battle through the chaos is worthwhile and can, at times, be seen as very funny." In 1994, this unique combination of humour and realism inspired the hit movie MRS. DOUBTFIRE, based on Anne's novel MADAME DOUBTFIRE and starring the late comedic genius Robin Williams.
Anne is best known in her home country, England, as a writer principally for children, but over the years she has also written eight novels for adult readers. Seven of these she describes as black - or sour - comedies, and the first, THE KILLJOY, simply as "dead black". These novels have proved great favourites with reading groups, causing readers to squirm with mingled horror and delight as she peels away the layers in all too familiar family relationships, exposing the tangled threads and conflicts beneath. (It's perhaps not surprising that Anne has openly expressed astonishment at the fact that murder in the domestic setting is not even more common.)
Anne has written more than sixty books for children and young people. Amongst numerous other awards, she is twice winner of both the Carnegie Medal, Britain's most prestigious children's book award, and the Whitbread Award. Twice chosen as Children's Author of the Year in the British Book Awards, Anne Fine was also the first novelist to be honoured as Children's Laureate in the United Kingdom. In 2003, Anne became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and was awarded an OBE. Her work has been translated into forty five languages.
Anne Fine lives in the north of England and has two grown up daughters.
Anne is best known in her home country, England, as a writer principally for children, but over the years she has also written eight novels for adult readers. Seven of these she describes as black - or sour - comedies, and the first, THE KILLJOY, simply as "dead black". These novels have proved great favourites with reading groups, causing readers to squirm with mingled horror and delight as she peels away the layers in all too familiar family relationships, exposing the tangled threads and conflicts beneath. (It's perhaps not surprising that Anne has openly expressed astonishment at the fact that murder in the domestic setting is not even more common.)
Anne has written more than sixty books for children and young people. Amongst numerous other awards, she is twice winner of both the Carnegie Medal, Britain's most prestigious children's book award, and the Whitbread Award. Twice chosen as Children's Author of the Year in the British Book Awards, Anne Fine was also the first novelist to be honoured as Children's Laureate in the United Kingdom. In 2003, Anne became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and was awarded an OBE. Her work has been translated into forty five languages.
Anne Fine lives in the north of England and has two grown up daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
March 2, 2023
With Anne Fine's early reader (and Carnegie Medal nominee for 1989) Bill's New Frock, one morning, main protagonist Bill Simpson wakes up to find that he has suddenly physically been transformed into a girl (although internally, emotionally, Bill actually still feels that he is a boy and not at all a girl). But Bill's mother, she is totally unperturbed, seems to just accept Bill suddenly being a girl and then forces her son to put on a pretty and frilly pink frock (a pink dress in American English) and hence the book title being Bill's New Frock. And once at school, Bill is also approached by everyone as a girl, is supposed to behave sedately, quietly and must realise and come to term with the reality that girls are (even in the late 20th century when Bill's New Frock is taking place) seen very differently than boys, that for example girls are expected to keep their clothes neat, tidy and frilly whilst boys are allowed to be rowdy and often even rather messy with no or at least not much overt criticism.
Now and in my humble opinion Bill's New Frock first and foremost has Anne Fine providing important and essential insight into gender differences and gender stratification and is textually demonstrating that the traditional school day is actually very much different and also rather inherently lacking fairness for girls, with them supposedly being responsible, neat and tidy, but physically weak and lacking, and boys as inherently scruffy and more violent (but that this violence is actually often seen as something rather acceptable for boys but not at all for girls, who are supposed to be dainty and never losing their cool, their temper), and that Bill Simpson suddenly has to adhere to entrenched and problematic stereotypes just because he now resembles a girl on the outside even though he still totally feels like a boy in his heart, on the inside.
And no, Bill's New Frock is thus not one of those "boy wearing a dress" type of tales, as it is clearly shown by Anne Fine that Bill Simpson does not want to at all wear that new frock, that new dress, and that he totally feels like a boy and not like the girl he physically now looks like, presenting a delightful, easy reading and also thought-provoking account about the necessity and the importance of basically and generally getting rid of gender-based stereotypes (for everyone) and allowing children to behave according to their own wants and desires regarding gender (regarding what children are wearing, what they enjoy doing, how their are approached and communicated with, basically what children's lives and their feelings are about gender and that this needs to be respected and universally so). But while Bill's New Frock is also not yet in my opinion a novel about a trans-gender child, well, the feelings Bill Simpson has, how he reacts and how those around him both adults and children (his classmates) react and consider him, it does for me kind of textually seem like someone, like Bill is in Bill's New Frock feeling caught in one gender but believing that this gender designation just does not work.
Now and in my humble opinion Bill's New Frock first and foremost has Anne Fine providing important and essential insight into gender differences and gender stratification and is textually demonstrating that the traditional school day is actually very much different and also rather inherently lacking fairness for girls, with them supposedly being responsible, neat and tidy, but physically weak and lacking, and boys as inherently scruffy and more violent (but that this violence is actually often seen as something rather acceptable for boys but not at all for girls, who are supposed to be dainty and never losing their cool, their temper), and that Bill Simpson suddenly has to adhere to entrenched and problematic stereotypes just because he now resembles a girl on the outside even though he still totally feels like a boy in his heart, on the inside.
And no, Bill's New Frock is thus not one of those "boy wearing a dress" type of tales, as it is clearly shown by Anne Fine that Bill Simpson does not want to at all wear that new frock, that new dress, and that he totally feels like a boy and not like the girl he physically now looks like, presenting a delightful, easy reading and also thought-provoking account about the necessity and the importance of basically and generally getting rid of gender-based stereotypes (for everyone) and allowing children to behave according to their own wants and desires regarding gender (regarding what children are wearing, what they enjoy doing, how their are approached and communicated with, basically what children's lives and their feelings are about gender and that this needs to be respected and universally so). But while Bill's New Frock is also not yet in my opinion a novel about a trans-gender child, well, the feelings Bill Simpson has, how he reacts and how those around him both adults and children (his classmates) react and consider him, it does for me kind of textually seem like someone, like Bill is in Bill's New Frock feeling caught in one gender but believing that this gender designation just does not work.
December 29, 2025
hey hey! me and my brother liked it! and i think its an amazing book for children its fun and not that long as most kids like it and it has an interesting story tbh! here are my brothers thoughts!
-BROTHERS THOUGHTS:
i think its a pretty interesting book and i would have liked it to be longer and yeah it was nice to br with my sister ig and thats it.
okay im back and ay hes acting so nonchalant (ugh). yeah ill force him to read another one soon. like i am not such a good sister :)
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pre-read:
my brother wanted to pick this up as he saw it on my childhood book shelf and told me to buddy read it with him and there is no way! that when my brother tells me to br and ill say no cause he doesnt read so i hope this gets him into reading! and we are alr some pages in!
-BROTHERS THOUGHTS:
i think its a pretty interesting book and i would have liked it to be longer and yeah it was nice to br with my sister ig and thats it.
okay im back and ay hes acting so nonchalant (ugh). yeah ill force him to read another one soon. like i am not such a good sister :)
----
pre-read:
my brother wanted to pick this up as he saw it on my childhood book shelf and told me to buddy read it with him and there is no way! that when my brother tells me to br and ill say no cause he doesnt read so i hope this gets him into reading! and we are alr some pages in!
October 25, 2017
Bill wakes up to learn he is a girl. His mom dresses him in a lovely frock and he is off into his day.
Never heavy-handed, never pedantic, this book is a nice excursion into another gender, and a thoughtful one.
Never heavy-handed, never pedantic, this book is a nice excursion into another gender, and a thoughtful one.
May 6, 2016
One morning, Bill Simpson wakes up to find that he is a girl. His mother forces him to put on a pretty pink frock with fiddly shell buttons, and then he has to go to school. At school that day, he faces the reality that girls are treated very differently from boys whilst he struggles in vain to stop his dress getting dirty.
I'm reading this one for two reasons: firstly, I loved this story in my childhood, and secondly, I might be writing a conference paper on it, so I've been reading it with a very academic eye.
As a children's book, Bill's New Frock is an interesting insight into gender, and how boys and girls are treated differently at school. This edition was published in 1990, but I feel that some of the issues it raises are very much important today.
Girls are seen as neater, more responsible, and weaker. Boys are seen as scruffy and violent. Most of all, it is about how unfair these differences in treatment are. Like Bill being told off because his work isn't neat, whereas the boy beside him with much messier work gets a 'well done'. Or Rohan being told off more for kicking Bill even though Bill punched him first.
It's not clear whether Bill waking up as a girl is a dream or real, but personally I came out of it feeling that Bill is a Female-to-Male transgender character. (Not when I was child, though. XD)
Anne Fine raises these issues in a humorous way; lots of the incidents that happen to Bill throughout the day can be seen as quite funny e.g. the 'wumpy choo'. On the other hand, there are some moments of true poignancy as well:
Bill reached out to try to stop her.
‘But who am I?’ he asked her desperately. ‘Who am I?'
Pretty deep question for a children's book, huh?
All in all, I think that this is an excellent book for raising gender-based dialogues with children, whether it is about gender stereotyping and socialisation, the gender divide, or feeling that you are in the wrong body.
I'm reading this one for two reasons: firstly, I loved this story in my childhood, and secondly, I might be writing a conference paper on it, so I've been reading it with a very academic eye.
As a children's book, Bill's New Frock is an interesting insight into gender, and how boys and girls are treated differently at school. This edition was published in 1990, but I feel that some of the issues it raises are very much important today.
Girls are seen as neater, more responsible, and weaker. Boys are seen as scruffy and violent. Most of all, it is about how unfair these differences in treatment are. Like Bill being told off because his work isn't neat, whereas the boy beside him with much messier work gets a 'well done'. Or Rohan being told off more for kicking Bill even though Bill punched him first.
It's not clear whether Bill waking up as a girl is a dream or real, but personally I came out of it feeling that Bill is a Female-to-Male transgender character. (Not when I was child, though. XD)
Anne Fine raises these issues in a humorous way; lots of the incidents that happen to Bill throughout the day can be seen as quite funny e.g. the 'wumpy choo'. On the other hand, there are some moments of true poignancy as well:
Bill reached out to try to stop her.
‘But who am I?’ he asked her desperately. ‘Who am I?'
Pretty deep question for a children's book, huh?
All in all, I think that this is an excellent book for raising gender-based dialogues with children, whether it is about gender stereotyping and socialisation, the gender divide, or feeling that you are in the wrong body.
April 10, 2015
I liked this book. In a nutshell, the protagonist wakes up one day and he is a girl. I guess that the reader has just to accept that because there is no indication as to whether Bill was actually a girl in the first place or if he actually physically changed. Fine explores gender inequality in her book as Bill is faced with a variety of obstacles that force him to see the way that girls are treated. I particularly enjoyed the emphasis on the pink dress and the impracticality of wearing such an item of clothing. I also liked the way that Bill reacts to the school bully who wolf whistles at him.
This book is a short read with lovely illustrations and rather funny.
This book is a short read with lovely illustrations and rather funny.
July 16, 2022
Es cierto lo que dice, no por traer vestido eres niña.
April 15, 2013
Much to his alarm, one morning Bill wakes to discover he is a girl. Unperturbed by this, his mother puts him in a frilly pink frock and sends him off to school. Despite his consternation at this inexplicable turn of events, he is seemingly unable to do anything about it and strangely, everyone else accepts the change too. Bill isn’t quite sure what’s happening, but does his best to get on with his day as usual, but the dress changes everything. Wearing the dress gives Bill a new perspective and allows issues of gender and sexism to be dealt with in a humorous way.
I quite enjoyed this and it provides a good starting point for a class to look at why we live in a world where there are still very set ideas about gender. Despite being originally published over 20 years ago, the issues are just as pertinent today as they ever were, if not more so. Pretty much all girls seem to be clad in pink from head to foot and there is still plenty of talk in classrooms centring on what is or isn’t a suitable toy/pastime depending on your sex. I can’t help thinking that we had it better in the 70’s and early 80’s – everyone, boys and girls, had a bowl haircut, flared dungarees, a polo neck and that was the end of it.
Sorry, back to the book. This is a good example of a book aimed at younger readers just beginning to read chapter books alone and is also a good choice for a class read in Years 2 & 3, as children who couldn’t read it independently would still enjoy it. Great for building literacy activities around – writing an alternative ending, character analysis and stimulus for a similar life-swap story. There’s lots of links with PHSE and I think as teachers, it’s our duty to resist gender stereotyping (and it is rife in schools) and encourage children to find out what they like and who they are for themselves. Gender may inform your sense of self and experience, but it doesn’t have to dictate it.
I quite enjoyed this and it provides a good starting point for a class to look at why we live in a world where there are still very set ideas about gender. Despite being originally published over 20 years ago, the issues are just as pertinent today as they ever were, if not more so. Pretty much all girls seem to be clad in pink from head to foot and there is still plenty of talk in classrooms centring on what is or isn’t a suitable toy/pastime depending on your sex. I can’t help thinking that we had it better in the 70’s and early 80’s – everyone, boys and girls, had a bowl haircut, flared dungarees, a polo neck and that was the end of it.
Sorry, back to the book. This is a good example of a book aimed at younger readers just beginning to read chapter books alone and is also a good choice for a class read in Years 2 & 3, as children who couldn’t read it independently would still enjoy it. Great for building literacy activities around – writing an alternative ending, character analysis and stimulus for a similar life-swap story. There’s lots of links with PHSE and I think as teachers, it’s our duty to resist gender stereotyping (and it is rife in schools) and encourage children to find out what they like and who they are for themselves. Gender may inform your sense of self and experience, but it doesn’t have to dictate it.
Read
October 30, 2012I remember reading this book when I was in year 6 I found this book so engaging I had to finish it within a few days. It is a novel about Bill who wakes up one morning to find that he is a girl. His mum makes him wear a pink frilly dress to school. Bill is so confused because he knows he is a boy not a girl so what an earth is going on. Bill finds is so strange being a girl and everything is so different. He spends his day being forced to keep his dress clean but eventually it gets ruined. when he gets home he gets changed into his jeans and shirt realising that he's finally a boy again.
I think this novel is appropriate for Key Stage 2, it could be read to the whole class or used for planned guided reading sessions. Girls and boys would both find this book very funny.It allows boys and girls to see each others worlds as in the story, Bill is traumatized to find that he cannot play football because he is a girl. The boys take up the whole playground playing while the girls must sit at the edge of the playground. This novel can be used as a basis for discussion around many topics in PSHE. I would have this book in the book corner in my classroom!
I think this novel is appropriate for Key Stage 2, it could be read to the whole class or used for planned guided reading sessions. Girls and boys would both find this book very funny.It allows boys and girls to see each others worlds as in the story, Bill is traumatized to find that he cannot play football because he is a girl. The boys take up the whole playground playing while the girls must sit at the edge of the playground. This novel can be used as a basis for discussion around many topics in PSHE. I would have this book in the book corner in my classroom!
September 12, 2023
Me gustó mucho, representa bien a una infancia trans y los roles de géneros que se establecen desde pequeñes, las injusticias que tienen que soportar las infancias solo por “lo que debe hacer” o “cómo debe ser” cada género.
August 30, 2024
Yey to waking up one morning and realizing you are of a different gender and now you have to see life from someone else's eyes (this can literally apply to anything related to physical or social differences). Btw, Bill is not transgender, not even curious about exploring gender fluidity. He simply wakes up as a girl one day for no apparent reason and has to go to school as a girl and see how different that experience is than that of a boy. Anne Fine shows that teachers behave differently towards and have different expectations from boys and girls, that playtime is different and that clothes are different and some allow for better movement than others. You have much to unpack here if you want to talk about gender being a performance, or gender expectations being socially constructed. And it is fun to read.
January 5, 2018
Un libro que me parece que tiene mucha más chicha de la que puede parecer en un principio. No sé si será por leer este libro en este momento pero creo que hay una lectura profunda de todo esto.
December 30, 2024
One book away from my reading goal so I had to add a book I read with my class
December 3, 2025
Jake looks great 💪
November 13, 2022
We used this book in our Year 4 English and reading lessons to discuss gender stereotypes, gender roles and equal opportunities. The exit ticket for students was to write a persuasive text on why boys and girls should be treated the same.
Bill provides us plenty of first hand experiences of what he finds annoying, unfair and disturbing as how he is treated differently now he is wearing a pink frock. Boys are treated differently than girls, and expectations as to how boys and girls are to behave and occupy themselves is highlighted plenty throughout the book. In a classroom setting, it allows for plenty of discussion and hopefully let's students reflection on their own mental models of gender roles and stereotypes.
For a book that was written in the 90s, some cultural concepts might need a bit of extra explanation, but I would definitely say it is a valuable book to use in the current debate on gender politics.
Bill provides us plenty of first hand experiences of what he finds annoying, unfair and disturbing as how he is treated differently now he is wearing a pink frock. Boys are treated differently than girls, and expectations as to how boys and girls are to behave and occupy themselves is highlighted plenty throughout the book. In a classroom setting, it allows for plenty of discussion and hopefully let's students reflection on their own mental models of gender roles and stereotypes.
For a book that was written in the 90s, some cultural concepts might need a bit of extra explanation, but I would definitely say it is a valuable book to use in the current debate on gender politics.
May 11, 2025
read this at school many years ago ..
was definitely worth a reread, one of the books that made me love reading!
was definitely worth a reread, one of the books that made me love reading!
October 29, 2015
Bill’s New Frock by Anne Fine
This book is about a little boy called Bill Simpson. One morning, almost as if in a dream, Bill wakes up to discover that he is a girl and no one realises that, not even his own cat! His mum casually dresses him in a pink dress and sends him off to school. So Bill is forced to continue his day at school as a girl. The day is filled with adventures and events that Bill has never before encountered and is a huge learning curve for him. At school Bill is faced with a variety of obstacles that force him to see the way that girls are treated. Bill faces numerous challenges as a result of his new found gender including, encounters with the school bully, not been able to do tasks he used to as a boy (playing football) and new pressures with regards to his school work. However worst of all, Bill is cast to play Rapunzel in the school play. He finds it difficult as a girl as he sees how they are treated differently at his school and becomes very frustrated at how he is expected to behave in a certain way, as a girl (not getting his dress dirty).
This book explores gender inequality. It touches on topics such as respect, empathy and considering the feelings of others. The book is a very clever approach to looking at gender inequality, every chapter reveals a new topic which highlights this further and the scenes are common place so children can relate easily to it. This book challenges the stereotypes of how girls and boys are supposed to behave in society. In the book, girls' options are limited, whereas boys seem to have more freedom and more opportunities to behave badly and get dirty. It helps the young readers question themselves if they come across a similar situation. This book is more suitable for key stage 2 children. The language used is very readable while also challenges the reader and introduces them to new vocabulary.
This book has great cross curricular links and helps children understand about gender inequality. This book can be used in English, questions can be asked during a reading comprehension lesson which would require the child to think more deeply and give their own opinions. It can also be used during a PSHE lesson to discuss the topic of gender and how boys and girls can be treated differently in society. It can also be linked in to history when discussing how men and women were expected to behave in certain times.
Overall I think brilliant really easy to read, very short, but a superb exploration of gender stereotypes. This book could be used for independent or guided reading.
This book is about a little boy called Bill Simpson. One morning, almost as if in a dream, Bill wakes up to discover that he is a girl and no one realises that, not even his own cat! His mum casually dresses him in a pink dress and sends him off to school. So Bill is forced to continue his day at school as a girl. The day is filled with adventures and events that Bill has never before encountered and is a huge learning curve for him. At school Bill is faced with a variety of obstacles that force him to see the way that girls are treated. Bill faces numerous challenges as a result of his new found gender including, encounters with the school bully, not been able to do tasks he used to as a boy (playing football) and new pressures with regards to his school work. However worst of all, Bill is cast to play Rapunzel in the school play. He finds it difficult as a girl as he sees how they are treated differently at his school and becomes very frustrated at how he is expected to behave in a certain way, as a girl (not getting his dress dirty).
This book explores gender inequality. It touches on topics such as respect, empathy and considering the feelings of others. The book is a very clever approach to looking at gender inequality, every chapter reveals a new topic which highlights this further and the scenes are common place so children can relate easily to it. This book challenges the stereotypes of how girls and boys are supposed to behave in society. In the book, girls' options are limited, whereas boys seem to have more freedom and more opportunities to behave badly and get dirty. It helps the young readers question themselves if they come across a similar situation. This book is more suitable for key stage 2 children. The language used is very readable while also challenges the reader and introduces them to new vocabulary.
This book has great cross curricular links and helps children understand about gender inequality. This book can be used in English, questions can be asked during a reading comprehension lesson which would require the child to think more deeply and give their own opinions. It can also be used during a PSHE lesson to discuss the topic of gender and how boys and girls can be treated differently in society. It can also be linked in to history when discussing how men and women were expected to behave in certain times.
Overall I think brilliant really easy to read, very short, but a superb exploration of gender stereotypes. This book could be used for independent or guided reading.
September 6, 2012
My third review is of Anne Fines story, Bills New Frock that was first published in 1989. The story utilises the idea of waking up having swapped gender. This is a really popular idea, as illustrated by numerous other media products which employ this type of storyline.
The story centres around boy named Bill Simpson, who wakes up one morning to find he is unknowingly morphed into a girl. Upon waking up and finding himself in this peculiar situation, Bill seeks his mum for help but all she offers is a frilly pink dress which he is made to wear and is sent off to school. This is only the beginning, at school Bill faces numerous of challenges as a result of his new found gender including encounters with the school bully, not been able to do tasks he used to as a boy and new pressures with regards to his school work. However worst of all, Bill is cast to play Rapunzel in the school play. The day is filled with adventures and events that Bill has never before encountered and is a huge learning curve for him. By the end of the day, the pink dress is tattered and muddy and all Bill is happy about is never having to wear the dress again.
I think this sorry by Anne Fine is a great teaching tool to use in order to reflect ideas of respect, empathy and considering the feelings of others. Furthermore this story teaches students to think about and understand differences between males and females. This story really gets the students to use their imagination and put themselves in the position of Bill and familiar settings and events help do this. Again, much like the other two books, this book is targeted towards the older primary school students.
The story centres around boy named Bill Simpson, who wakes up one morning to find he is unknowingly morphed into a girl. Upon waking up and finding himself in this peculiar situation, Bill seeks his mum for help but all she offers is a frilly pink dress which he is made to wear and is sent off to school. This is only the beginning, at school Bill faces numerous of challenges as a result of his new found gender including encounters with the school bully, not been able to do tasks he used to as a boy and new pressures with regards to his school work. However worst of all, Bill is cast to play Rapunzel in the school play. The day is filled with adventures and events that Bill has never before encountered and is a huge learning curve for him. By the end of the day, the pink dress is tattered and muddy and all Bill is happy about is never having to wear the dress again.
I think this sorry by Anne Fine is a great teaching tool to use in order to reflect ideas of respect, empathy and considering the feelings of others. Furthermore this story teaches students to think about and understand differences between males and females. This story really gets the students to use their imagination and put themselves in the position of Bill and familiar settings and events help do this. Again, much like the other two books, this book is targeted towards the older primary school students.
May 9, 2017
I loved reading Bills New Frock by Anne Fine. There were a lot of funny bits including when Bill wakes up to find he's a girl! This book is a hilarious and funny book, one of the best written by Anne Fine.
June 19, 2014
Bill wakes up one morning to discover he is a girl… and no one bats an eyelid, not even the cat! His mother breezes into his room, puts a frilly pink frock on him and rushes off to work. Thus begins Bill’s adventure as a girl.
The book is a very clever approach to looking at gender and how boys and girls can often be treated in different ways, whether we realise it at the time or not. Every chapter reveals a new topic which highlights this further and the scenes are common place so children can relate easily to it. The language used is very readable while also challenges the reader and introduces them to new vocabulary.
This is a great book for literacy lessons. Many questions can be asked during a reading comprehension lesson which would require the child to think more deeply and give their own opinions. It can also be used during a PSHCE lesson to discuss the topic of gender and how boys and girls can be treated differently in society.
The book is a very clever approach to looking at gender and how boys and girls can often be treated in different ways, whether we realise it at the time or not. Every chapter reveals a new topic which highlights this further and the scenes are common place so children can relate easily to it. The language used is very readable while also challenges the reader and introduces them to new vocabulary.
This is a great book for literacy lessons. Many questions can be asked during a reading comprehension lesson which would require the child to think more deeply and give their own opinions. It can also be used during a PSHCE lesson to discuss the topic of gender and how boys and girls can be treated differently in society.
July 14, 2014
I can remember reading this book as a young child and being throughly entertained by Anne Fine's marvellous writing style. She has a brilliantly witty narrative which completely engaged my young self.
The story centres around the protagonist, Bill, who wakes up to find he has woken up as the opposite gender. Shocked and confused, the antics he gets up to are entertaining and enthralling to read. One of Fine's best work and it really is a timeless book. Being forced to wear a pink frilly dress and having nobody understand his dilemma makes this humorous tale perfect for upper KS2 pupils. This is the kind of book which I hope to share with Year 4+ pupils as it's quite a gender neutral text and naturally appeals to all. Some great curriculum links, especially to PSHCE with developing empathy, relating to Bill's experiences etc.
Generally this is a lovely story and one certainly worth sharing.
The story centres around the protagonist, Bill, who wakes up to find he has woken up as the opposite gender. Shocked and confused, the antics he gets up to are entertaining and enthralling to read. One of Fine's best work and it really is a timeless book. Being forced to wear a pink frilly dress and having nobody understand his dilemma makes this humorous tale perfect for upper KS2 pupils. This is the kind of book which I hope to share with Year 4+ pupils as it's quite a gender neutral text and naturally appeals to all. Some great curriculum links, especially to PSHCE with developing empathy, relating to Bill's experiences etc.
Generally this is a lovely story and one certainly worth sharing.
January 22, 2011
Quite good children’s novel about a young boy who wakes up one morning to discover everyone thinks he is (and has always been) a girl. Cue lessons about how society is pretty rubbish to girls! As is often the case with these things, I wish it had gone further with its ideas (actually, I wish I could read the same story but with characters who are teenagers...or perhaps I should simply write it?), but it’s nevertheless nicely thoughtful, especially considering its target age group and date of publication (1989).
A quick Google revealed that it was made into a TV movie which, despite its acid trip of an opener—and generally cracktastic wardrobe choices—is likewise quite good. Damn, though—“He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”? There’s a ’90s elementary school reminder that I didn’t need!
A quick Google revealed that it was made into a TV movie which, despite its acid trip of an opener—and generally cracktastic wardrobe choices—is likewise quite good. Damn, though—“He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”? There’s a ’90s elementary school reminder that I didn’t need!
September 12, 2013
One morning Bill wakes up and he's a girl! He now is wearing a pink dress and everyone treats him in a different way.
Bill's New Frock deals with clichees in a very funny and thought-provoking way. In the end you really wonder if it's better to be a boy or a girl!
Bill's New Frock deals with clichees in a very funny and thought-provoking way. In the end you really wonder if it's better to be a boy or a girl!
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May 5, 2016A tiny little work of genius. Such a simple idea - imagining someone wakes up as a girl instead of a boy - reflecting all the ways that girls and boys are treated differently. Thought provoking.
November 13, 2023
Bill's New Frock (Paperback) by Anne Fine- The story is that one morning, main protagonist Bill Simpson wakes up to find that he has suddenly physically been transformed into a girl, although internally, emotionally, Bill actually still feels that he is a boy and not at all a girl. But Bill's mother, she is totally unperturbed, seems to just accept Bill suddenly being a girl and then forces her son to put on a pretty and frilly pink frock. Once at school, Bill is also approached by everyone as a girl, is supposed to behave sedately, quietly and must realise and come to term with the reality that girls are seen very differently than boys, that for example girls are expected to keep their clothes neat, tidy and frilly whilst boys are allowed to be rowdy and often even rather messy with no or at least not much overt criticism. Author provides an important and essential insight into gender differences and gender stratification and is textually demonstrating that the traditional school day is actually very much different and also rather inherently lacking fairness for girls, with them supposedly being responsible, neat and tidy, but physically weak and lacking, and boys as inherently scruffy and more violent but that this violence is actually often seen as something rather acceptable for boys but not at all for girls, who are supposed to be dainty and never losing their cool, their temper, and that Bill Simpson suddenly has to adhere to entrenched and problematic stereotypes just because he now resembles a girl on the outside even though he still totally feels like a boy in his heart, on the inside. According to the book, the protagonist Bill Simpson does not want to at all wear that new frock, that new dress, and that he totally feels like a boy and not like the girl he physically now looks like, presenting a delightful, easy reading and also thought-provoking account about the necessity and the importance of basically and generally getting rid of gender-based stereotypes for everyone and allowing children to behave according to their own wants and desires regarding gender regarding what children are wearing, what they enjoy doing, how they are approached and communicated with, basically what children's lives and their feelings are about gender and that this needs to be respected and universally so. Bill Simpson has, how he reacts and how those around him both adults and children his classmates react and consider him, it does for me kind of textually seem like someone, like Bill is in this book feeling caught in one gender but believing that this gender designation just does not work. This is quite an interesting book for children and readers of all age groups.
October 24, 2024
“Billy y el vestido rosa” es un libro infantil que me llamó la atención incluso antes de leerlo y sabía que me iba a encantar. En este se tratan temas esenciales de nuestra sociedad de hoy en día así como la aceptación de uno mismo/a, el género y nuestro derecho fundamental, la libertad de expresión. En cuanto al público al que está dirigido se podría decir que principalmente a niños que se encuentren en la etapa de Educación Primaria. En cambio, cualquier persona que no se encuentre en este rango de edad también podría leerlo ya que tiene un mensaje muy importante y emotivo.
El protagonista y como bien se indica en el título del libro es Billy, un niño que va un día por la calle y llama su atención un vestido rosa que se encuentra en un escaparate. Esto, a vista de la sociedad es algo “malo” o “fuera de lo normal” pero al protagonista esto no le importa ya que él únicamente quiere su vestido y le da igual el resto. El niño, vive con su madre y a esta no es que le parezca mal o no comparta los gustos de Billy sino que simplemente le llama la atención ya que no tiene asociado que un niño pueda llevar un vestido porque hasta entonces eso era propio de niñas. Pese a esto, lo apoya y finalmente le compra el famoso vestido rosa. Este gesto hace que Billy esté muy feliz hasta cierto tiempo… Cuando al día siguiente va a la escuela por primera vez con su vestido rosa, una gran cantidad de niños lo abuchean a todas horas y no para de recibir comentarios negativos durante toda la jornada escolar. Aun así, Billy es un niño con una personalidad arrolladora y que no se va a dejar pisar por comentarios de gente de tal calibre. Conforme vamos leyendo el libro, nos damos cuenta que Billy, poco a poco, va aceptando que ser diferente no está nada mal y que al fin y al cabo tenemos que ser nosotros mismos. Siendo él mismo también se da cuenta de la gente que le rodea, es decir, todos aquellos que se avergüenzan de cómo es y aquellos otros que lo aceptan y apoyan. Por tanto, aparece la idea de las famosas normas de género, aquellas que nos dicen cómo tenemos que vestir o actuar en base a nuestro género y también de lo vital que es recibir apoyo por parte de nuestros seres queridos más cercanos ya que sin ellos, este proceso puede llegar a complicarse mucho.
En líneas generales, recomiendo la lectura de este libro a niños de entre 6 y 12 años pero a su vez también a cualquier adulto que se quiera informar más sobre los temas que se tratan en el mismo ya que es una realidad y tenemos que aceptar que ser diferentes no siempre está mal. La clave está en ser nosotros mismos/as y así, llegaremos siempre donde queramos.
El protagonista y como bien se indica en el título del libro es Billy, un niño que va un día por la calle y llama su atención un vestido rosa que se encuentra en un escaparate. Esto, a vista de la sociedad es algo “malo” o “fuera de lo normal” pero al protagonista esto no le importa ya que él únicamente quiere su vestido y le da igual el resto. El niño, vive con su madre y a esta no es que le parezca mal o no comparta los gustos de Billy sino que simplemente le llama la atención ya que no tiene asociado que un niño pueda llevar un vestido porque hasta entonces eso era propio de niñas. Pese a esto, lo apoya y finalmente le compra el famoso vestido rosa. Este gesto hace que Billy esté muy feliz hasta cierto tiempo… Cuando al día siguiente va a la escuela por primera vez con su vestido rosa, una gran cantidad de niños lo abuchean a todas horas y no para de recibir comentarios negativos durante toda la jornada escolar. Aun así, Billy es un niño con una personalidad arrolladora y que no se va a dejar pisar por comentarios de gente de tal calibre. Conforme vamos leyendo el libro, nos damos cuenta que Billy, poco a poco, va aceptando que ser diferente no está nada mal y que al fin y al cabo tenemos que ser nosotros mismos. Siendo él mismo también se da cuenta de la gente que le rodea, es decir, todos aquellos que se avergüenzan de cómo es y aquellos otros que lo aceptan y apoyan. Por tanto, aparece la idea de las famosas normas de género, aquellas que nos dicen cómo tenemos que vestir o actuar en base a nuestro género y también de lo vital que es recibir apoyo por parte de nuestros seres queridos más cercanos ya que sin ellos, este proceso puede llegar a complicarse mucho.
En líneas generales, recomiendo la lectura de este libro a niños de entre 6 y 12 años pero a su vez también a cualquier adulto que se quiera informar más sobre los temas que se tratan en el mismo ya que es una realidad y tenemos que aceptar que ser diferentes no siempre está mal. La clave está en ser nosotros mismos/as y así, llegaremos siempre donde queramos.
January 18, 2020
Book Review by Sophia Tims (Age 8)
I read ‘Bill’s New Frock’ by Anne Fine. In the story Bill Simpson wakes up to find he is a girl. His mother forces him to put on a pretty pink frock with fiddly shell buttons. When he gets to school he realizes that girls are treated very differently to boys and it is very unfair. That day is like a nightmare for him and his dress gets ripped, torn and splattered with ink, paint and mud. By the end of the day he can’t wait to get home, strip off the dress and put on jeans and a T-shirt. His mother is so horrified at the state of the dress that she says he must NEVER EVER wear a frock again!!! Bill is relieved!
This book is great for both boys and girls because it highlights how differently they are treated. For example, the teacher tells Bill off for having messy handwriting, but tells one of the boys that they are doing well even though their handwriting is much messier than Bill’s. Also when Bill starts a fight with Rohan the teacher (Mrs Collins) blames Rohan for it just because he’s a boy.
The book shows us how boys are seen to be stronger and more violent than girls. Girls on the other hand are seen to be more careful, trustworthy and weaker than boys.
The film ‘Mulan’ shares the same theme as this book. In the movie Mulan’s father needs to go to war but he is too ill and weak. Mulan disguises herself as a boy and takes his place. She fights like a real man so all the other soldiers treat her like one.
I would give ‘Bill’s New Frock’ five stars. I really enjoyed it because it’s funny and entertaining and I would recommend this book to children in years 4 and 5.
I read ‘Bill’s New Frock’ by Anne Fine. In the story Bill Simpson wakes up to find he is a girl. His mother forces him to put on a pretty pink frock with fiddly shell buttons. When he gets to school he realizes that girls are treated very differently to boys and it is very unfair. That day is like a nightmare for him and his dress gets ripped, torn and splattered with ink, paint and mud. By the end of the day he can’t wait to get home, strip off the dress and put on jeans and a T-shirt. His mother is so horrified at the state of the dress that she says he must NEVER EVER wear a frock again!!! Bill is relieved!
This book is great for both boys and girls because it highlights how differently they are treated. For example, the teacher tells Bill off for having messy handwriting, but tells one of the boys that they are doing well even though their handwriting is much messier than Bill’s. Also when Bill starts a fight with Rohan the teacher (Mrs Collins) blames Rohan for it just because he’s a boy.
The book shows us how boys are seen to be stronger and more violent than girls. Girls on the other hand are seen to be more careful, trustworthy and weaker than boys.
The film ‘Mulan’ shares the same theme as this book. In the movie Mulan’s father needs to go to war but he is too ill and weak. Mulan disguises herself as a boy and takes his place. She fights like a real man so all the other soldiers treat her like one.
I would give ‘Bill’s New Frock’ five stars. I really enjoyed it because it’s funny and entertaining and I would recommend this book to children in years 4 and 5.
January 26, 2024
this was an interesting and thought-provoking read for middle-grade readers. as the title suggests, the premise of the book revolves around the titular character bill attending school in a bright pink dress, something which he describes as a "curse" being placed upon him. throughout the novel, the book exposes how gender stereotypes infiltrate every aspect of our daily life, even as children. it demonstrates how they not only influence what we wear and how we are expected to behave, but also how we are treated by others, and it was this aspect of bill's story which was perhaps the most interesting. many examples are given throughout, such as girls must have neat hand writing and deal with being wolf-whistled at in the street, whilst boys are expected to be raucous and get into fights. at the end of the novel, bill feels "relieved" when he takes off the dress and sees himself as a boy in the mirror. fine's writing creates a clever ambiguity, as bill is never referred to as a boy by any of the other characters in the novel; it is likely that how he sees himself doesn't quite reflect how he is viewed by the rest of the world. however, fine's first-person narration results in the reader becoming acutely aware of how his outward presentation impacts how he is treated by others. considering this book was originally published in 1989, i thought it was incredibly progressive for the era. whilst it doesn't go so far as to label bill's experience specifically, it does highlight how he feels different and doesn't fit in with his peers. i enjoyed reading this and like how it encourages children to question the stereotypes we are raised to blindly accept. 4 stars.
September 19, 2019
This simple and very funny book would be suitable for quite a few different ages; it is very easy to read and simply structured, but also contains some food for thought and a few more unusual pieces of vocabulary for older primary readers. In general, I would expect it to be most useful in lower key stage 2, years 3/4.
The seven chapters are set over a single day in the life of Bill Simpson, who wakes up one morning to find that he is suddenly a girl. Much of the humour derives from no one else appearing to notice the change, and Bill’s mother dresses him in a pretty pink frock to go to school that day. Fine, a former Children’s Laureate and Carnegie Medal-winning author, details how Bill’s interactions with students and teachers are very different now that he is a girl, comically skewering everyday sexism in such a way that pupils of any primary school can recognise and empathise with the situations the characters face.
First published in 1989, the book isn’t dated at all, perhaps aside from the use of the titular word ‘frock’, not so commonly heard today, and the reference to several comics like ‘The Dandy’ and ‘The Beano’, as well as some other more obscure publications, which contemporary primary school readers may not recognise. However, these could be points of interest to older readers and the book is still in print, complete with new illustrations from Mark Beech. The fast-paced, highly comedic and accessible prose makes for a very entertaining read and one that can encourage students to think about gender as a social construct in a very familiar setting.
The seven chapters are set over a single day in the life of Bill Simpson, who wakes up one morning to find that he is suddenly a girl. Much of the humour derives from no one else appearing to notice the change, and Bill’s mother dresses him in a pretty pink frock to go to school that day. Fine, a former Children’s Laureate and Carnegie Medal-winning author, details how Bill’s interactions with students and teachers are very different now that he is a girl, comically skewering everyday sexism in such a way that pupils of any primary school can recognise and empathise with the situations the characters face.
First published in 1989, the book isn’t dated at all, perhaps aside from the use of the titular word ‘frock’, not so commonly heard today, and the reference to several comics like ‘The Dandy’ and ‘The Beano’, as well as some other more obscure publications, which contemporary primary school readers may not recognise. However, these could be points of interest to older readers and the book is still in print, complete with new illustrations from Mark Beech. The fast-paced, highly comedic and accessible prose makes for a very entertaining read and one that can encourage students to think about gender as a social construct in a very familiar setting.
December 20, 2019
I know a lot of people see this book as about a little boy whose Mum for some reason buys him a dress one day and forces him to go to Muffty Day wearing the dress and then everyone treats him like a girl, and in a bit of a stereotype way, that it is meant to be a funny story. Examples:
- Girls should have neat handwriting
- Girls shouldn't play sports
- Girls should be dainty
- etc
I always saw this book as Bill being a little boy who presented female at birth and then his Mum had a momentary lapse of judgement, forgot, and sent him to school in a dress and everyone just assumed he had decided that his gender assignment at birth was correct and that he was going back to presenting female.
This was the book that my teacher assigned the class when one of the Year 6s came to school one day without the "girl's" uniform (our school didn't specify you had to wear the skirt, pinafore or dress but most of us did because the trousers were three times the price of the girl's clothes or the kilts) and without the signature long-ass plaits in their hair they used to have. We read it as a way to explain that sometimes people don't fit the mold society expects them to and its probably one of the reasons I am who I am today.
I finally found a new copy of this book, my old one fell apart, and my youth group read it and thought it was brilliant.
- Girls should have neat handwriting
- Girls shouldn't play sports
- Girls should be dainty
- etc
I always saw this book as Bill being a little boy who presented female at birth and then his Mum had a momentary lapse of judgement, forgot, and sent him to school in a dress and everyone just assumed he had decided that his gender assignment at birth was correct and that he was going back to presenting female.
This was the book that my teacher assigned the class when one of the Year 6s came to school one day without the "girl's" uniform (our school didn't specify you had to wear the skirt, pinafore or dress but most of us did because the trousers were three times the price of the girl's clothes or the kilts) and without the signature long-ass plaits in their hair they used to have. We read it as a way to explain that sometimes people don't fit the mold society expects them to and its probably one of the reasons I am who I am today.
I finally found a new copy of this book, my old one fell apart, and my youth group read it and thought it was brilliant.
August 24, 2022
I think this book is suitable for children in years 2 to 6 as not only is it easy to read and follow, but holds multiple important messages which are important for children of this age to understand. The fact that this book was written in the 80s yet still holds relevance now is (unfortunately) testament to the fact that its message has not previously been widely taught in schools. The story can now be read either as a commentary on the perception of gender in young children, or as the tale of a child struggling to understand their identity before they have transitioned. Both readings are significant. The story is full of simple, everyday, things which we take for granted such as girls supposedly being clean, having neater handwriting and boys being messy, late and uninterested in school work. The trans reading of the story portrays a child confused at the fact that their own understanding of themselves differs to how others view them. I think there is an enormous lack of understanding on this topic which thankfully now is making its way into school curriculums. Bill's New Frock is a great example of a story which demonstrates that everybody is unique and that it is ok to be different!
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