Corey, S. (2000). You forgot your skirt, Amelia Bloomer!. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.
Summary:
Amelia Bloomer was a women’s rights activist. She felt that a lot of the prejudices held against women were just plain silly. So to do her part, she started a newspaper that was for women. It also gave women a place to work. Another thing that she felt was silly were the large dresses that women had to wear. They weighed a lot, they swept up dirt and mud, they were very tight, and they were so wide that they would not fit through some doorways. One day Amelia invited over a friend. That friend brought her cousin Libby with her. Libby was wearing a knee length dress that was not too heavy, long, wide, or tight. Under it she had matching ankle length bloomers. Amelia was so amazed by this idea that she went right to work creating her own pair. She wrote about how wonderful they were in her newspaper. Women from all over sent her letters wanting to know where to get the outfits or a pattern to make their own. After a while, they went out of style – but women never returned to wearing the large, heavy, tight, wide dresses that they once did.
Ages:
Kindergarten through 3rd grade
Credibility of Author:
There is an author’s note in the back of the text that explains more about Amelia Bloomer and where the author got some of her information ( like A Ladies’ Temperance Society).
National Standards that this book relates to:
Culture, Time, Continuity, and Change
Access Features:
Author’s note
Description of the Illustrations:
The paintings were created by Chelsey McLaren using gouache. The end pages of this book show the bloomers that women wore. They are shown from the knee down and the illustrations are so large that only one leg fits on each page. The illustrations on the cover of the book pull the reader in. They are very colorful and interesting. It makes you want to pull the book out and look inside!
Awards:
Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Books 2000
Booklist Editors Choice for 2000
Children’s Literature Choice 2001
Related Texts:
Corey, S. (2003). Players in pigtails. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc..
Fritz, J. (1997). You want women to vote, Lizzie Stanton? . New York, NY: Putnam's.
My response to the book:
I loved this book! It was very simple text and explained a major movement in women’s rights. The illustrations are wonderful and really draw the reader in.
How I would use this book in my class:
It is important for students to know what women played parts in US history. This would be a perfect book for that!
This book is 28 pages long.
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7 comments:
I have heard about his book and have always wanted to read it. I love how you state that children need to know what part women played in our history. I could not agree with you more and I plan on getting this book and using it in the same way within my own classroom.
Another book about something we take for granted and that someone had to step up and call those awful dressed into question! I can't imagine having to wear dresses all the time, although I did until college! At least they didn't have hoop skirts--but we did have those cinching undergarments (girdles)!
I see many pictures of my mom in dresses. She couldn't conceive the idea of her daughter in high school wearing pants even though I saw her in pants all the time. She did wear pants, but thought at school that dresses would be better, dressier. I couldn't imagine wearing them all the time! I had a hoop under my wedding dress and the first thing I said was, "How did they wear these all the time." I felt as if I could be blown away by a puff of wind.
I read this book before our last class started and loved it! This would be a great book to use during a unit I do on Women's Suffrage. I like the light-hearted tone of this book!
I had heard of this book too, but had never read it. I am definitely going to read it now. Women have played an important role in our history. It is important that our students read books about women and their contributions. We hear so much about what men have done!
I have always thought that the dresses the women wore back then were beautiful. However, they had to be very irritating. It's great that we don't have to wear them now. I couldn't agree with you more about how our students need to know what contributions women have made.
I've really enjoyed all of the books about women that we have come across in this class. This is another important one that children would find funny and informative.
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