THIS MARY HAS LOTS OF GLAM

Mary Had a Little Glam by Tammi Sauer and illustrations by Vanessa Vrantley-Newton is a delightful adaptation of the classic nursery rhyme, Mary Had a Little Lamb.  In this retelling, this little Mary loves to accessorize.  With her very stylish fashion, she helps her classmates add a little “glam” to their fashion. 

Children who enjoy series such as Pinkalicious and Fancy Nancy will enjoy this book.  This is a wonderful story to share with children ages three and up with its beautiful illustrations and a message for little girls to be creative.

STEAMPUNK FUN

Sophronia is 14 years old, tomboy and middle child of a family of girls who is suddenly told that she will be going to a finishing school, but this isn't any ordinary finishing school.  Unbeknownst to her, Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality has vampires, werewolves, and flying airships.  There she learns to fend off all types of foes and becomes embroiled in adventures unlike any she has known before.

Etiquette and Espionage:  Finishing School Book the First by Gail Carriger is a fun steampunk action adventure story.   

For readers in 6th -9th grade

SPUD VERSUS SPIFF

Prince Puggly of the Kingdom of Spud is unfashionable to say the least.  Nothing he wears matches, and cleanliness is certainly not a priority for him.  When he's invited to a lavish, fashionable party in the Kingdom of Spiff, he's surprised and elated and excited to be included - that is until he gets there and is laughed out of the party for his clothes.  Prince Puggly is feeling pretty bummed until he meets Francesca, the bookish Princess of Spiff, who only wears pajamas and reads books.  Between the two of them, they devise a plan to get back at the other kingdoms for focusing only on fashion and not on the more important things in life.

Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff by Robert Paul Weston is a novel told in rhyme with fun surprises galore in font, graphics, and format.  This is a fun and light book with a moral for kids in grades 4 and up.

COCO THE THE CARROT!

Coco, the carrot was living in a cold, small vegetable bin and she hated every minute of it. All of the other vegetables in the bin were as miserable as she was. But no one was as brave as Coco. She decides to take off and travel to Paris. Her journey takes a rocky turn when the chef of the ship decides to use her in his soup. However, she is able to escape and land to her dreamt destination. Coco the Carrot becomes an icon in the town. Designing beautiful hats for people all over the world...This is a fashionable, charming and creative story that will inspire you...COCO THE CARROT by STEVEN SALERNO is a runaway smash.

NO EXCUSES FOR YOUR PASSIONS!

Art, photography, courage, discrimination, civil movement, beauty, family bonding and much more will be found in this thin book that is about the world famous artist Gordon Parks. It is amazing what photography can teach us about so many things that are at times hard to explain in words. I guess the saying that ' a picture is worth a thousand words" will be perfect for this artist who chose to express his views on the state of the world through photos. His work ranged from one extreme to another. He shot the glamorous world of the Parisian fashion world with the same passion as he photographed the gangs of Harlem.

His artistic passion motivated him to also write books, paint and make movies as well. One passion led to another and he became without an excuse a wold famous artist. GORDON PARKS: NO EXCUSES by ANN PARR and the pictures by GORDON PARKS is available for you to check out.

For grades 3-5.

21st CENTURY LITTLE WOMEN

When you're in middle school, friendships come and go like the passing of day to night. What's even worse is parents all of a sudden decide to become VERY embarrassing! Put the two together and you get THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB by Heather Vogel Frederick. Emma and Jess are best friends. They used to be friends with Megan until she joined up with the "popular" girls. And Cassidy has just moved into town with the force of a tornado. When the moms decide to start a monthly book club, the girls aren't thrilled at the prospect of being forced to spend time with one another. But as they read through Little Women together, they begin to notice themselves in the characters of the book they are reading, and they begin to see each other in new ways as well. A surprisingly enjoyable book that strays from the typical pre-teen girl theme in many ways. Great for 5th graders and older.

HEAD TO TOE

Did you know that women have used soot, ground ants' eggs, beet juice and poisonous lead as makeup? Or that Civil War soldiers used handkerchiefs as the first dog tags. This is a very engaging book that can be for recreational reading as well as for reports on the historical and social changes in fashion throughout history. FROM HEAD TO TOE: BOUND FEET, BATHING SUITS, AND OTHER BIZARRE AND BEAUTIFUL THINGS by JANICE WEAVER and the illustrations by FRANCIS BLAKE will keep you on your toes with the many interesting facts about fashion for men and women.

For grades five through eight.

HERE SHE COMES

This picture book biography about the famous designer Coco Chanel will inspire you to be as innovative and creative as she was. Coco was not afraid to be different, and her fearlessness gave her the opportunity to stand out and be admired for her uniqueness. Being from a very poor family and not having enough money to even buy food, she was able to overcome all that and become one of the wealthiest woman in the world. You will enjoy this simple book with very colorful pen and ink watercolor illustrations. You will also learn how she opened her first store and made women to want to dress up like her . DIFFERENT LIKE COCO by ELIZABETH MATTHEWS is in fashion to be read by everyone.

For grades 2 and older.