''Bill's New Frock'' is a fiction book for younger readers, written by
Anne Fine and illustrated by
Philippe Dupasquier. First published in 1989, and reissued in 2002, it concerns a young boy, Bill Simpson, who wakes up one morning to find he has transformed into a girl. Now forced to go to school in a pink dress, Bill discovers one of the worst days in his life is about to unfold. Baffled by the way things are just different for girls, Bill falls headlong into trouble. The book was adapted into a television special, which first aired on 6 June 1998.
The book has been used in United Kingdom schools to challenge
gender
Gender is the range of social, psychological, cultural, and behavioral aspects of being a man (or boy), woman (or girl), or third gender. Although gender often corresponds to sex, a transgender person may identify with a gender other tha ...
stereotyping among primary school students. A 2002 study by the Social Science Research Unit,
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
, found evidence of children considering ‘the different treatment that boys and girls receive’, after reading the book.
In 1989, ''Bills New Frock'' was awarded a
Nestlé Smarties Book Prize
The Nestlé Children's Book Prize, and Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for a time, was a set of annual awards for British children's books that ran from 1985 to 2007. It was administered by BookTrust, an independent charity that promotes books and r ...
in the 6 to 8 years category.
References
External links
pdf of University of London review 2002Egmont Group
{{Anne Fine
1989 British novels
Novels by Anne Fine
Novels set in elementary and primary schools
British children's novels
1989 children's books
British children's books
Methuen Publishing books
Children's books set in schools