Ellie: The Perfect Dress for Me

by Cathy Rubin, Christopher Fowler (Illustrator)

Eleanor is back Having just the right dress for a very special occasion calls for careful planning. Ellie's well-intentioned family and friends offer her plenty of imaginative clothing advice, but sometimes a girl has to take matters into her own hands in order to create a signature look with just the right amount of personal appeal. A delightful sequel to Eleanor, Ellatony, Ellencake, and Me.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2005

Reviews

[Jeffrey Ellsworth]

A little girl is invited to an important party and she doesn't know what to wear. Her parents and grandma all pick something out for her but it isn't quite her. Then in the end she designs her own outfit incorporating a bit of each of the previous outfits.

[Queen · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute - a little girl defines her dress style and what is best for her... my girls love it.

[Anna Farris]

This book is about a little girl named Ellie who gets invited to her cousin's very grand and fancy wedding. The moment they get the invitation all her family is trying to figure out what they should wear. Ellie's friend suggests a lot of accessories, her father suggests a tux with tails, and her grandmother suggests and old, vintage dress. None of these work for Ellie for a variety of reasons. Her mother takes her to a store where a woman is going to design her a dress. Ellie and her mother can't decide what color the dress should be. They explore every option before they decide on red. Red is the perfect color for the dress and Ellie looks ravishing at the wedding.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I like it because of the fun story that encourages imagination and creativity. The thing about this book is that there is really nothing educational about it. The illustrations imply that it is for a younger audience but the vocabulary is more advanced.

The only reason I would use this in a lesson in the classroom would be because of the vocabulary. This book does some intense rhyming, and have a lot of bigger words simply because they rhyme. Other than that, I would simply keep this in the classroom as a fun read.