Fred Gets Dressed

PreS-Gr 1-In this delightful look at kids, clothes, and imagination, a white child named Fred starts out wearing nothing: "He romps through the house naked and wild and free." Appealing illustrations capture the child's carefree joy as he dances, jumps, and plays without a trace of self-consciousness. The naked playtime shifts, though, when he enters his parents' bedroom. In the closet, he looks at his father's clothes, but they don't fit. On his mother's side, however, he finds a blouse that fits like a dress on him, and shoes that are wobbly, but wearable. Then he decides to accessorize. The sequence of illustrations neatly supports the boy's thought processes, with varied layouts that compare his evaluations of what each parent's clothing has to offer. Fred's choice of clothing is both practical (they fit better) and preferential (they seem more fun). When the climactic scene of his parents' entry arrives, Fred has added jewelry and messily applied lipstick. Consecutive wordless spreads capture the moment perfectly: blank looks from the adults that quickly turn to smiles as the mother offers grooming techniques and even the dog is playfully adorned. The closing image shows that Fred is finally "mostly dressed" though bare from the waist down. Themes of acceptance, family love, and gender nonconformity resonate without overwhelming the simple story. VERDICT A fun, funny, and insightful look at accepting kids just as they are.-Steven Engelfried, Wilsonville P.L.

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission

First establishing his protagonist’s delight in zooming around the house “naked and wild and free,” Brown (The Wild Robot) shows white-skinned, brown-haired Fred striking one joyful pose after another. But when Fred ends up in a magical place—his parents’ closet—getting dressed becomes irresistible. He has trouble donning his father’s shirt and tie, but Mom’s clothes are a different story. The book’s limited palette of olive, brown, and bright pink combines to form a wardrobe that, to Fred’s eyes, is razzle-dazzle—and his mother’s makeup and jewelry only add to the allure. When Mom and Dad discover Fred, now dressed in a blouse-and-scarf turned frock, heels, and a dash of lipstick, Brown draws the scene as a parent-child stand-off, an ominous beat that seems to suggest potential conflict. But a page turn reveals smiles and everyone—down to the family dog—getting into the dress-up game: Mom gives makeup lessons, and Dad dons blush and jewelry. With nonjudgmental parents who appreciate their son however he dresses, Fred really has it all. Well, almost—as the final cheeky image shows, he could use a pair of underpants. Ages 3–6.

Copyright 2021 Publisher's Weekly Used with permission