Molly's Tuxedo - Vicki Johnson - ★★★★.½

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AUTHOR: Vicki Johnson
ILLUSTRATOR: Gillian Reid
GENRE: Children's Picture Book
RATING: 4.5 stars.

In a Nutshell: A ray of sunshine. Loved Molly and her tuxedo as well.

Story Synopsis:
Molly is a kindergartener who is very excited about her very first school picture day. She has picked out a spot on the big photo wall where her family puts up all their memorable pics. Molly already has a couple of pics on the wall but she hates them as they don’t show her at her best.
For the big day, Molly has decided to wear her brother’s old tuxedo, which is perfect in every way, and way more convenient than dresses. After all, it even has pockets! But Mom has bought Molly a new dress, and she insists that Molly will look her best only in her new outfit. What should Molly do?


As I have been having such dreary luck with my adult fiction reads, I turned to picture books for some reading rejuvenation. And as expected, this charmer didn’t disappoint.
 
The title already tells you what will happen, which is not a surprise because this is a picture book and a happy ending is a must. But the journey to this satisfying ending is adorable! While I do love my dresses as much as my trouser outfits, I feel Molly’s frustration when she says that dresses aren’t convenient. And a huge supportive nod to the problem of having no pockets in one’s outfit!
 
Molly’s emotional struggle and her final decision to do what’s best for her turn this beautiful story into an empowering one. What’s also sweet is how Molly’s friends, including the ones who love dresses, end up providing strong support to her when she is confused.
 
While Molly isn’t directly mentioned as being gender-nonconforming, her dilemma over not feeling herself in a dress makes her a great protagonist for this inclusive book. Any little child who feels the same as Molly will connect with her emotional struggle and find her determination inspiring.

The vocabulary of the story ought to be quite easy for the target age group of 4-8 year olds. The pages aren’t text-heavy, and the page design keeps the text scattered in little chunks rather than having it in one big chunk, making it easier on little eyes to assimilate the content.
 
The illustrations are cute and vibrant. Molly, with her vivacity, is the true star of the show. Her expressions are amazing. The full-page colour setup will be lovely in the physical copy.
 
The only minor negative for me is that the story comes down a bit too harshly on dresses. Dresses can be fun too, and if a girl wants to wear dresses, it should be as okay as a girl not wanting to wear dresses. If the writing were only from Molly’s perspective rather than a generalised narration of dresses being bad, the book would have perfect for me!

Regardless, this is still going to be a must-read for every child, especially to those who are struggling to fit in this world of gender conformity. Shine on in your true colours, little ones!

My thanks to Simon & Schuster, little bee books, and Edelweiss+ for the DRC of “Molly's Tuxedo”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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