Growing a Reader: Kids' Books, Tips and More

In Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress graphic artist and debut author Christine Baldacchino has crafted a sensitive story about a creative and resilient child.  Morris loves painting, spaceships and the dress-up box at school, especially the brightly-hued frock that reminds him of “tigers, the sun and his mother’s hair”.  His gender-nonconforming choice to wear the tangerine dress makes him the target of derogatory comments from his classmates.  At first Morris pretends he can’t hear their snipes and taunts, but then he feigns a stomachache to stay home from school.  Soothed by the quiet presence of his mother, who comforts his soul with books, apple juice and unequivocal acceptance and love, Morris returns to school with confidence.    When he finds two classmates who decide “it didn’t matter if astronauts wore dresses or not”, Morris’ creative spirit joyfully soars with his new friends.

Isabelle Malenfant’s vibrant charcoal and watercolour illustrations capture Morris’s emotional highs and lows.  He glows with happiness as bright as the dress he wears.  When he is ostracized by his peers, he is isolated at the far end of the lunch table, eating alone.

This thought-provoking picture book explores individuality and gender role expectations in an evocative and accessible manner. Morris does not wear the dress to provoke a reaction; he simply likes the sensory appeal of the “crinkle,” “swish,” and colour of the fabric. His artful personality also shines through his imaginative paintings of spaceships and elephants. Morris just wants to be himself.

Linda Ludke is a librarian at London Public Library.  Her reviews have appeared in Quill and Quire, School Library Journal and CM:  Canadian Review of Materials.  When she’s not reading and writing she also loves searching for vintage treasures.