''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