You Forgot Your Skirt, Amelia Bloomer

Age Appropriateness (Primary, Intermediate, Middle School): Intermediate
Review/Critique: This book is about a Amelia Bloomer who was a very influential women of her time. She defied social standards and gave women a voice in society. Not only did she start her own newspaper, she also changed the fashion world for women.
Comments on Use: I really enjoyed this book because I think it highlighted ways that girls could be powerful despite social norms. The book also highlighted cultural differences overtime which not every student would be familiar with. I would use this book in my classroom if I was to go over important women or explore history from that time period.
Media: gouache

Review: This book is wonderful and tells a real story about someone that people wouldn't normally hear about. Amelia Bloomer was a real woman who invented the bloomer piece of clothing. It happened during a time when people did not take women's rights seriously. This book put a real life story into a wonderful picture book. It ends with a question and I found that to be extremely engaging and would lead to a great conversation with the students afterwards.

Uses: I would use this in my classroom to help teach about woman's rights. I think that it is a great book to help learn about those people that contributed to the success of woman's rights.

Genre: Biography- Written about a real woman who helped to invent pants and helped women begin show more wearing them.

Media: Painted with Gouache show less

Wonderful introduction to women's suffrage for young children. It is written in a way that children can relate. The colorful illustrations make the story come to life as we see Amelia advocate for women. She throws away her dresses and publishes a newspaper to spread the word about her bloomers. The bloomers gave Amelia the freedom she's always craved she could finally jump, run, and twirl and she wanted every girl to know about this. I would recommend for grades 2-5.

This is the true story a young woman who fought for women's rights. She is tired of wearing big, uncomfortable dresses. She invents "bloomers", which are baggy pants with a light skirt worn over. It is her way of freeing women from the constriction of these heavy dresses, and ultimately, from the constriction of society.

I enjoyed this story. I found it very lighthearted. Being that it's context is about women's suffrage, I would use this book for fourth grade and up. I think it gives insight to women's suffrage and how far things have changed from the past.

What a fun information text! This story about the history of women's right to vote and constricting corsetts is a great addition to any classroom library. It has beautiful pictures and great voice that students, especially girls, would enjoy.

Summary: This book tells the history of Amelia Bloomer, a woman who didn't like the restrictive clothing women had to wear. She popularized 'bloomers' which were much more comfortable and practical but society didn't want women to dress so casually (and improperly!)
Genre: Historical Fiction/NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
Personal Reflection: I was a Women's Studies major in college, so anything about women's rights is so up my alley! this topic can be hard to broach with a younger audience, but this book does a great job.
Concept: I like the light and fun way this book talks about the suffragette movement in the United States in the early 1800's. It is a very important topic for kids today, especially girls, to realize what used to be so they show more can appreciate where they are today. show less

Amelia Bloomer grew up in time where women were expected to be very proper. She thought it was silly that women could not vote or work and wore big heavy dresses. She decided to change this and began "The Lily" a newspaper all about women. After a visit from Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her cousin Libby, Amelia began to change women's fashion. Feeling free from the restrictive heaviness of her former attire, Amelia was able to do all sorts of things. Because of "The Lily", Amelia's "Bloomers" became very popular among women fighting for equality for women. I could use this book for a Women's Rights lesson in a social studies classroom.