Margaret Chodos-Irvine
Author of Ella Sarah Gets Dressed
About the Author
Works by Margaret Chodos-Irvine
Associated Works
The Visionary: The Life Story of Flicker of the Serpentine / Wonders Hidden: Audubon's Early Years (1984) — Illustrator — 18 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- female
- Occupations
- illustrator
printmaker
clothing designer - Awards and honors
- Caldecott Honor (2004)
- Agent
- Wernick & Pratt Agency
- Short biography
- [from author's website]
Margaret Chodos-Irvine comes from a long line of craftspeople, so she approaches her work as if tailoring a suit or cobbling a shoe. It all has to fit and look beautiful at the same time. To do so, she uses a variety of techniques to create innovative patterns, vivid colors, and uniquely textured imagery in her work. She has illustrated 13 books for children and has been recognized with starred reviews and other honors, most notably a 2004 Caldecott Honor Award for Ella Sarah Gets Dressed, which she both wrote and illustrated. Margaret lives in Seattle, Washington with her crafty family. - Places of residence
- Seattle, Washington, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- Washington, USA
Members
Reviews
A cute little story! A strong-willed little girl knows exactly what she wants to wear and sticks to it despite the pressure from family members to wear something less fancy. I was charmed by the closing pages that reveal that sticking to her choice of clothing is not just a whim of childish stubbornness on Ella Sarah's part.
Ella Sarah Gets Dressed is a delightful book about an independent young girl who is steadfastly determined to express her own style. To her family's dismay, she has chosen a unique combination of clothing. However, Ella Sarah is not swayed by their suggestions. She insists that she has picked the perfect outfit. In the end, being herself is exactly the best person she can be.
Personal Reflection: I remember the days of allowing my children to pick their own clothing. Their choices were always show more very interesting. Encouraging creativity and independence in children is important, and this book demonstrates that very well.
Extension Ideas:
1. Allow children to play dress up and conduct a "fashion show" so children can show off their unique styles.
2. Talk with children about standing firm for what they believe is right. Have them share a time when they were stubborn.
3. Talk with children about having a positive self image and not conforming to meet the expectations of others. Cut articles of clothing from different types/colors of material. Have children glue the articles of clothing to picture of boy or girl. show less
Personal Reflection: I remember the days of allowing my children to pick their own clothing. Their choices were always show more very interesting. Encouraging creativity and independence in children is important, and this book demonstrates that very well.
Extension Ideas:
1. Allow children to play dress up and conduct a "fashion show" so children can show off their unique styles.
2. Talk with children about standing firm for what they believe is right. Have them share a time when they were stubborn.
3. Talk with children about having a positive self image and not conforming to meet the expectations of others. Cut articles of clothing from different types/colors of material. Have children glue the articles of clothing to picture of boy or girl. show less
"Ella Sarah Gets Dress" was adorable and so accurate to children in the present day. Being an independent is a child's biggest dream, I believe it is anyways. I let me own kids choose their outfits, but only when we are not going anywhere important. However, I thought her outfit actually looked like it matched! It was definitely a book I would put inside my classroom for students to read, but I do not think I could coordinate it into a lesson. I could recommend this book to new parents to show more read to their children as well. show less
Ella Sarah knows exactly what she wants to wear this morning:
“My pink polka-dot pants,
my dress with orange-and-green flowers,
my purple-and-blue striped socks,
my yellow shoes,
and my red hat.”
Unfortunately, the rest of Ella Sarah’s family has other ideas. Her mother thinks the outfit is too dressy and suggests she wear a nice blue dress. Her father thinks she should wear her yellow T-shirt and white shorts. And her sister pulls out her old overalls. But Ella Sarah is adamant and so she show more puts on her colorful outfit. She thinks she looks just right and so do all her friends who arrive for a fancy pretend tea party.
The illustrations in this Caldecott Honor book are bright, created with silhouetted shapes and printed patterns. Vibrant colors and a variety of printmaking techniques are used to create Ella Sarah’s world. Chodos-Irvine has clearly put a lot of thought into the layout of the illustrations. Sometimes the whole page is filled with a close up of Ella Sarah’s face, while another page features a series of smaller illustrations that show Ella Sarah getting dressed. The text moves along quickly. The description of Ella Sarah’s preferred outfit is frequently repeated, much like the chorus of a song.
Full Review at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2012/07/book-210-ella-sarah-gets-dressed-by.... show less
“My pink polka-dot pants,
my dress with orange-and-green flowers,
my purple-and-blue striped socks,
my yellow shoes,
and my red hat.”
Unfortunately, the rest of Ella Sarah’s family has other ideas. Her mother thinks the outfit is too dressy and suggests she wear a nice blue dress. Her father thinks she should wear her yellow T-shirt and white shorts. And her sister pulls out her old overalls. But Ella Sarah is adamant and so she show more puts on her colorful outfit. She thinks she looks just right and so do all her friends who arrive for a fancy pretend tea party.
The illustrations in this Caldecott Honor book are bright, created with silhouetted shapes and printed patterns. Vibrant colors and a variety of printmaking techniques are used to create Ella Sarah’s world. Chodos-Irvine has clearly put a lot of thought into the layout of the illustrations. Sometimes the whole page is filled with a close up of Ella Sarah’s face, while another page features a series of smaller illustrations that show Ella Sarah getting dressed. The text moves along quickly. The description of Ella Sarah’s preferred outfit is frequently repeated, much like the chorus of a song.
Full Review at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2012/07/book-210-ella-sarah-gets-dressed-by.... show less
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 2
- Also by
- 5
- Members
- 1,636
- Popularity
- #15,700
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 296
- ISBNs
- 14
