A review by sunflowerx
Ella Sarah Gets Dressed by Margaret Chodos-Irvine

4.0

Margaret Chodos-Irvine’s picture book Ella Sarah Gets Dressed is a great example of a pattern book. When the reader is first introduced to Ella Sarah we find out that Ella Sarah is set on wearing a very specific outfit. To be exact, she wants to wear her pink polka-dot pants, her dress with orange and green flowers, her purple-and-blue striped socks, her yellow shoes and her red hat. No one in Ella Sarah’s family supports her outfit choice and they suggest multiple outfits as an alternative to what she wants to wear. After denying each suggestion, Ella Sarah is sure to let everyone know what she wants to wear, over and over again. Finally, Ella Sarah gets dressed and Chodos-Irvine’s illustrations of Ella Sarah’s friends in equally as silly outfits bring the story full circle. This book could be used in a lesson about patterns, and children would definitely stay engaged throughout it. Students could shout Ella Sarah’s outfit idea as the teacher reads it aloud.