Happy birthday, Edmund!

Today is his day—Clerihew Day. When Edmund Clerihew Bentley (1875-1956) was 16, he wrote the first clerihew poem,* while sitting in a science class. Edmund wrote the poem about Sir Humphry David, a chemist who initially suggested the use of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) as the anesthetic of choice for minor surgeries (but to no avail, people preferred to inhale it during social gatherings). Here is Edmund’s “Clerihew Poem.”

Sir Humphrey Davy
Abominated gravy.
He lived in the odium
Of having discovered Sodium.

Clerihew Day has nothing to do with today’s book, D is for Dress-Up: The ABC’s of What We Wear. The day made me laugh (without laughing gas).

D Is for Dress Up: The ABC’s of What We Wear
Written and Illustrated by Maria Carluccio
Chronicle Books  4/01/2016
978-1-4521-4025-4
36 pages    9 X 9”    Ages 3—5

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“Celebrating the creativity of what we wear—from a sophisticated bow tie to a silly costume to a warm wool hat—this playful fashion alphabet shares the fun of getting dressed up and simply getting dressed!” [inside jacket]`a

Review
D is for Dress-Up: The ABC’s of What We Wear is a fashion-forwards A-B-C book for young children, who love to dress-up and look great all the time, and for the parents who like to keep their kids looking fabulous. The fashions range from daywear, such as “A apron” on a crafty baker to “V vintage,” on two old-fashioned girls. Some kids wear “Z zippers” on a couple of nifty winter coats, while others wear “C costumes,” looking like vampires, witches, and fairies. The variety continues in various types of fabrics, including “J jeans,” on three swing set girls and “W wool,” covering several cold heads on a winter day.

Publishers release several A-B-C books each year. I doubt many have Carluccio’s multicultural cast of children interacting throughout their alphabet. Even a family pet gets in on the act by wearing a feathered fedora. And few, if any, contain these words: “leotards, overalls, pinstripes, quilted, vintage, x-stitch, and zippers.” D is for Dress-Up can expand a child’s vocabulary and get them thinking about wearing something other than whatever they usually wear. In D is for Dressing, the kids are decked out from head to toe.

At first look, I didn’t think Carluccio’s digitally created, soft and grainy illustrations in D is for Dressing-Up could possibly be an A-B-C book. The elegant spreads say much more than a single letter could. I was wrong. Carluccio’s spreads tell a complete story with each letter of the alphabet. The page for “B bow tie & bow” has two children on their way to a friend’s festive birthday party, where both have a terrific time. The young girl on page “Q quilted” sits reading her favorite picture books, warm in her quilted robe. Vignettes like those await your story on every page.

D is for Dress-Up: The ABC’s of What We Wear is a modern, interesting, beautiful book ready to teach your children their alphabet, and much more.

D IS FOR DRESS-UP: THE ABC’S OF WHAT WE WEAR. Text and illustrations copyright © 2016 by Maria Carluccio. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA.

Amazon—Indie Books—Apple Books—Chronicle Books

Find D is for Dress-Up: The ABC’s of What We Wear on Goodreads HERE.

Maria Carluccio:  http://mariacarluccio.com/
Follow on Twitter          @carluccio7

Chronicle Books:  http://www.chroniclebooks.com/
Follow on Twitter          @ChronicleKids

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Reprinted with permission from D IS FOR DRESS-UP: THE ABC’S OF WHAT WE WEAR © 2016 by Maria Carluccio, Chronicle Books. Illustrations © 2016 by Maria Carluccio.

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Copyright © 2016 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

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D is for Dress-Up: The ABC’s of What We Wear
by Maria Carluccio
Chronicle Books 4/01/2016
9781452140254

*Clerihew Poem has five rules
1. it has 4 lines,
2. rhyming couplets of AA/BB,
3. a person’s name is the first line,
4. the poem is about that person and should make us smile
Also, there is no fixed meter, which should make it easier for us non-poets.