The Bora-Bora Dress is about a young girl who discovers a love for far away places through unlikely items like her beautiful tropical dress. The illustrations throughout the book are what attracted me to choosing this book. The illustrator has a very unique "water-color" like style that has you wanting to look at every detail. It was a cute book, but I feel like it had me wondering what the lesson behind the story was. ( )

I liked The Bora-Bora Dress, because it's not your typical story about a young girl. The book pushes readers to think about tougher issues, in this case the character defies her gender role. In the story she doesn't like dresses, for example, "Lindsay never ever ever wore a dress, She wore her baggy shorts to run on the beach." This may be relatable to a lot of young girls reading who also like to be active and not wear dresses. Secondly, the characters are well developed; the reader can tell Lindsay is a tom-boy and a free spirit. In the beginning of the story Lindsay tells her mom she is going to wear her pirate suit or her ribbbion-pocket jeans to her aunt's party. Finally, I think the plot is realistic and relatable. Lindsay and her mom end up going dress shopping and find the perfect dress for the party. The dress has a special meaning to her that was well thought out by the author. The conflict wasn't just solved by finding a girly dress, but finding a dress which matched her personality. ( )

Aunt Fiona is throwing a party and Lindsay can't wait to go, but there is one problem: She has to wear a dress and Lindsay never wears a dress.

Ages - 4 to 5
Sources - Pierce College Library

The Bora-Bora Dress by Carole Lexa Schaefer and illustrated by Catherine Stock is about a sensible girl who has no desire to wear a dress being forced to wear a dress her Aunt Fiona's party. After lots and lots of hideous dresses, she finds a magical dress made in Bora-Bora.

My daughter picked this story out. She likes wearing dresses. I don't. And I'm at a stage in my life that I've decided never to wear another dress again. I don't even own any dresses or skirts. So I felt sad when there was no compromise at all for Lindsay. It was wear a dress or don't go. Why not a nice suit?

Lindsay's Bora-Bora dress is in fact magical. The pattern changes according to the scenery at hand. The colorful illustrations capture this magic nicely. I just wish there could have been a different outcome. ( )

OK-it was a cute little book and had nice illustrations. ( )