Young Lindsay is excited about her invitation to Aunt Fiona’s party. When her mother informs her that it’s a dress-up party, Lindsay suggests that she wear her pirate suit or her ribbon-pocket jeans. Her mother quickly and calmly nixes those ideas, explaining that she’ll have to wear a dress to this end-of-the-summer, snazzy, ritzy dress-up party. The problem, of course, is that rough-and-tumble Lindsay never wears dresses. Lindsay’s tall, chic mother knows just what to do. She escorts her to Miss Beeline’s Girls’ Shop, where Lindsay turns up her nose at everything until she spots the dress, a seemingly magical sundress that features a winking parrot, jungle foliage, oranges and stars, along with a tag that reads, Made in Bora-Bora for you. Aunt Fiona’s soiree is overwhelmingly elegant. As Lindsay and her aunt head to the beach for moonlight dancing, Lindsay asks where Bora-Bora is, and Fiona explains that it’s a South Sea island where she has traveled and seen leaping dolphins, and coconut drinks, and people who make wonderful things. Under the moonlight, Lindsay and her dress merge into a swirling ball of grace, swishing and swooshing under the stars. Artist Catherine Stock’s watercolors dance with personality throughout the book, and practically jump off the page during Lindsay’s dance. One of the great things about this book is that Lindsay remains true to herself at every moment. Yes, she is magically transformed for a night, just like Cinderella. However, she’s never too prissy before, during or after her frenzied dance is full of both grace and wildness. Whether you know a tomboy or a frilly princess, girls of varying temperaments will be equally enthralled by The Bora-Bora Dress. Too bad this book doesn’t come with its own dress, because no doubt many readers will be searching for Bora Bora versions of their own.
Valiant Women is a vital and engrossing attempt to correct the record and rightfully celebrate the achievements of female veterans of World War II.
