If you don’t know Elsa Schiaparelli, Bloom is the perfect way to discover her. Elsa was a fashion designer who defied the idea of the day (1920’s) that women’s fashion had to be plain and unassuming. Our featured book for best books for Ages 6 to 8 is Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli by Kyo Maclear (Author), Julie Morstad (Illustrator). As you turn the pages you realize just how her bold and playful imagination translated into bold and playful fashion statements!
It is not often that the book design lends so much to story within. Julie Morstad has designed and illustrated a book that celebrates Elsa’s style with her signature pink, ornate flowers, and a hand-stenciling technique that dates back to the earlier twentieth century! Kyo Maclear tells you Elsa’s story following her from childhood into adulthood. It is so important for young girls and boys to witness her journey from self-doubt into creative success! Elsa changed the face of women’s fashion as she dared to be different and that is an enduring message that stands the test of time!
THEMES: biography, self-esteem, fashion
AGES: 6-8
