You Forgot Your Skirt, Amelia Bloomer [Hardcover]

Shana Corey (Author), Chesley Mclaren (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Amelia Bloomer, a rebellious reformer and early women's rights activist, invented bloomers (baggy pantaloons worn with a short skirt over them), thus liberating women from the dangerous and oppressive clothing of the mid-nineteenth century. Here is her story, told in buoyant, witty text and beautiful, high styled-illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Amelia Bloomer is not a proper lady. She thinks proper ladies of the 19th century are silly. They're not allowed to vote, not supposed to work, and all that fuss about clothes! Ridiculously wide hoop skirts, yards and yards of hot petticoats, and cruelly tight corsets supported by whalebone or steel made women faint at the drop of the hat: "What was proper about that?" So Amelia, being so very improper, sets out to revolutionize the world for women.

Not only does she start her own newspaper and try to change the voting laws, she also popularizes a new fashion. This bold new garb shocks the proper ladies, but frees all others to move, digest, breathe, and think about something other than keeping from fainting (such as voting and working). Named for their best spokesperson, bloomers marked the start of a kinder, gentler approach to women's fashion--and women's rights.

Shana Corey's lightly humorous voice is perfect for this true story about the 19th-century women's rights activist. A note at the end provides horrifying and fascinating information about women's restrictive clothing (corsets sometimes displaced internal organs!) and the dress reform that Amelia Bloomer spearheaded. Chesley McLaren's breezy, exuberant illustrations charmingly reflect her background in fashion design and illustration. (Ages 5 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

Modern rebels meet a kindred spirit in Corey and McLaren's exuberant debut that introduces feminist pioneer Amelia Bloomer. "Amelia Bloomer was NOT a proper lady," trumpets the text, which tells how to recognize 19th-century women of propriety: "Their dresses were so long that... their skirts swept up all the mud and trash from the street. What was proper about that?" Amid graceful illustrations of ladies in overblown ruffles and breath-restricting corsets, Amelia appears in a practical navy blue dress, hatless. Amelia is especially impressed by suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton's cousin, Libby Miller, who has the good sense to wear a knee-length skirt over baggy, gathered pants. Amelia pronounces the outfit "Brilliant!" and publicizes it in the women's newspaper that she edits. Fans and foes alike name the new look after her. The title, styled as a taunt, implies Amelia's daring, and the conclusion links bloomers to body-baring "1920's swimwear" and groovy "60's bellbottoms." McLaren presents Amelia's fashion statement in gestural gouaches that imitate designers' sketches; the characters seem to float across the white pages. The artist's palette incorporates the strong violet, deep pink and yellow of aniline dyes, and a curvy typeface complements decorative curlicues in the images. In a breezy and delightfully chic manner, Corey and McLaren tell an inspiring tale of nonconformity. Ages 5-8. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1st edition (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439078199
• ISBN-13: 978-0439078191
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 10.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #463,683 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up in South--in Savannah and Athens, Georgia and then Charlotte, North Carolina. When I was little, I loved stories about olden-day girls--my favorites were Betsy-Tacy, All-of-a-Kind Family, Little House On the Prairie. Imagine my delight when I went to college and discovered that I could take ENTIRE classes on (and get credit for learning about!) olden-day girls! Yay college! In college, I learned to call it women's history, but really--it was the exact same topic I'd been interested in since I was five. Now, I have the great pleasure and honor of editing books for children myself. I also write picture books, most of them true stories about brave women and girls in history--women like Amelia Bloomer and Juliette Gordon Low, who had the guts to take a stand for the things they believed in and change the world. When I'm not writing or editing, I'm usually reading with my two little boys. They like stories about oldenday girls, too (though truth be told, they prefer a good truck story).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect For All Ages!, February 13, 2000

By 

Frank Murphy (Bucks County, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: You Forgot Your Skirt, Amelia Bloomer (Hardcover)

You Forgot Your Skirt Amelia Bloomer demonstrates all the bestthings a picture book can be. Tracy Mack (editor) left nothingunattended to...the dust jacket folds out into a poster after you follow the recommended directions to cut off the flaps. (But don't throw the flaps away! Even the bios on the illustrator and author are well written and informative! ) The endsheets have a big, bold illustration that encourages readers to predict. Even the ISBN number is strategically placed on the bottom of a fainting lady's blossoming dress! Chelsey McLaren's wonderful illustrations skate across the pages, almost dancing with the text's style and strategic position on each page. These illustrations deserve high praise! Shana Corey's ability to speak to the reader with a capricious voice and questions to make one think, make for a rare "read-aloud" biography that works incredibly well! There are few picture books that come as close to being perfect as this one does! I'd recommend this book for all ages. Specifically, as a book that can be used in grades as early as Kindergarten/First all the way up to Sixth and beyond as there is an excellent Author's Note that serves as a springboard to study the fascinating period of our history when women were elbowing their way to the front to gain more rights! As a second grade teacher I have already purchased multiple copies for my classroom!

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do You Know What Bloomers Are?, February 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: You Forgot Your Skirt, Amelia Bloomer (Hardcover)

Do you know what bloomers are? Well, if you don't, read the book YOU FORGOT YOUR SKIRT, AMELIA BLOOMER! Amelia is a girl who hates dresses! Amelia was not a proper lady! Amelia thought proper ladies were silly. She thought it was silly that ladies could not work! So she started her own newspaper. She thought it was even sillier that ladies had to wear big, heavy dresses. So she did something about it! My favorite part is when she made the bloomers and wore them. She sort of looked silly and sort of looked cool. I really liked this book because I learned a lot about Women's History. I learned what bloomers are too! And if you want to know what bloomers are...then read this book! - By Danielle S. Age 7

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Forgot Your Skirt, Amelia Bloomer: A Very Engaging Story, April 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: You Forgot Your Skirt, Amelia Bloomer (Hardcover)

Amelia Bloomer is a wonderful character, a rebel and achiever who will appeal to any girl from 2 to 20. The story is educational, inspirational and, most importantly, fun to read! Amelia is a woman who does not accept her "proper" place in society and sets out to change the rules. She is tireless in her efforts and is ultimately successful in changing the "proper" place for all women. The illustrations are beautiful. The drawings bring the story and the woman to life, and one can feel Amelia's spunk. I look forward to more books from this duo!