''10,000 Dresses'' is a 2008 children's

picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...

written by

Marcus Ewert Marcus Ewert, previously known as Mark Ewert, is an American writer, actor and director, living in San Francisco. Ewert began making and appearing in films in the 1990s. He has appeared in the Gus Van Sant short film ''Four Naked Boys and a Gu ...

, illustrated by

Rex Ray Rex Ray (September 11, 1956 – February 9, 2015) was an American graphic designer and collage artist, based in San Francisco. Biography Born as Michael Patterson on September 11, 1956, on a United States Army base in Germany, and he was raised ...

and published by

Seven Stories Press Seven Stories Press is an independent American publishing company. Based in New York City, the company was founded by Dan Simon in 1995, after establishing Four Walls Eight Windows in 1984 as an imprint at Writers and Readers, and then incorpora ...

. It is about a young transgender girl named Bailey who dreams of wearing extravagant dresses. When she comes to her parents for help, they are not particularly accepting, but she eventually meets a friend inspired by her courage who is willing to help her out. The book is notable for being one of the first children's books depicting

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

people's experiences. ''10,000 Dresses'' and other books of the same genre have received criticism for the lack of diversity in their LGBTQ+ protagonists.Bittner, Robert (2020). "Beyond Mere Representation in the Classroom: Finding and Teaching Literature by and about LGBTQ Authors". ''Journal of Children's Literature''. 46: 36–47 Although its acceptance by the LGBTQ+ community has earned it several awards, the picture book suffers from controversy, having been banned or challenged at particular institutions."FREE PeopLe Read FreeLy: 16th Annual REPORT in CELEBRATION of NATIONAL BANNED BOOKS WEEK." ''Texas Library Journal'', vol. 88, no. 3, 2012, pp. 108-114.

Summary

The story is told from the viewpoint of Bailey, a young transgender girl who dreams of dresses. She dreams of mystical dresses made with a variety of designs including flowers, rainbows, and windows. Bailey then tells her parents about these dresses and asks for their help in finding them as she really wants to wear them. At first, however, they become angry, and tell her, "You're a BOY", and "You shouldn't be thinking about dresses at all". Even her older brother calls her "gross" and threatens to hurt her. But soon Bailey meets an older woman named Laurel from across the street who seems more accepting about Bailey's love of dresses. Laurel is inspired by Bailey's courageous spirit so they quickly become friends. Laurel explains that although she wants to make dresses with her sewing machine, she does not have any design ideas. With Laurel's help, Bailey designs a dress with mirrors on it and is able to express herself in the way that she has always wanted.

Genre

''10,000 Dresses'' is an LGBTQ+ picture book designed for elementary school children to be shared in a classroom setting. Books in this genre are often used in classrooms to introduce and discuss LGBTQ+ topics. Teacher and psychologist Jennifer Burke, for example, read ''10,000 Dresses'' to her third-grade class, which led to a discussion about determining gender.Burke, Jennifer. He, She, and Me: How Elementary Children Construct Gender and Race in the Context of an Anti-Bias Curriculum, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey - New Brunswick, United States -- New Jersey, 2017. Many of her students claimed that the length of one's hair could be used to identify their gender. This conversation was followed by students introducing additional topics, including discussion about how clothing selection and toys characterize their gender. Furthermore, this genre is very often criticized for focusing on "boys in dresses", reflecting "stereotypical gendered interests" as well as a lack of diversity in the protagonists' families.Crawley, Stephen A. "Be Who You are: Exploring Representations of Transgender Children in Picturebooks." ''Journal of Children's Literature'', vol. 43, no. 2, 2017, pp. 28-41. ''10,000 Dresses'' and most other books in this genre focus on a "boy" with interests that are typically associated with females, like, as seen in ''10,000 Dresses'', wearing dresses. Some people, such as Robert Bittner, suggest that it is important to circumvent a "universalizing narrative" with more varied stories of members of the LGBTQ+ community. Professor Stephen Adam Crawley also recognizes the lack of diversity in that most of the stories in this genre deal with "White, middle class characters living in households with two cisgender, heterosexual parents."

Reception

''10,000 Dresses'' is a 2010 Stonewall Honor Book in Children and Young Adult Literature, a 2009

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

Rainbow Book and was a finalist in the 2008

Lambda Literary Awards Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ literature.The awards were instituted i ...

. In addition to these awards, however, ''10,000 Dresses'' has also experienced mixed opinions on whether or not it is appropriate to be taught to its intended audience of young children. For example, in Cuero, Texas, the picture book was banned by the Cuero Independent School District from John C. French Elementary School for its "politically, racially, or socially offensive" material. In another incident, parent Nathan Pollnow filed a complaint with the Columbus School District in 2020, arguing that "You are either a boy or you are a girl. That is the way you are born. Until you are of age, you really shouldn't have to know there's a difference. That's health class in high school, maybe earlier in junior high. But definitely not kindergarten." The district held a meeting and ultimately decided against banning ''10,000 Dresses''. With regard to library boards banning books like ''10,000 Dresses'', many believe LGBTQ+ and independent bookstores have the responsibility to advocate for this type of literature. Reviewers such as Dana Rudolph are bothered by the deeply negative reaction and lack of acceptance shown by Bailey's family. Ewert himself recognizes that he is "walking a fine line" between showing how parents might actually react and frightening students who read the book, yet he still believes it is a good mechanism for conjuring discussion between parents and children.Rudolph, Dana. "'10,000 Dresses' Celebrates Transgender Children's Lives." ''Between the Lines'', 2009, pp. 14. Additionally, social policy researchers Dr. Clare Bartholomaeus and Dr. Damien Riggs suggest that ''10,000 Dresses'' and other similar stories should be included on primary school reading lists.Walsh, Liz. "Gender Transition Reading 'Required'." ''The Advertiser'', 2015, pp. 11. According to Dr. Riggs, "Many of the students thought (a gender transitioning character) was magic ... as the sessions progressed, though, most showed a greater understanding."

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://catalog.sevenstories.com/products/dresses 2008 children's books American picture books Children's books with transgender themes Seven Stories Press books

Summary

Genre

Reception

See also

References

External links