Colonial Clothes

October 1, 2010
Grades 2-4 Sometimes the simplest truths can be the most startling: When the colonists first settled in the New World, there were no stores selling clothes. Thus begins this very basic but nevertheless intriguing volume in the Colonial Quest series. It starts with the breeches, bonnets, vests, and dresses. Children looked like small grown-ups, Fisher writes, and its a savvy observation. By necessity, colonists had to make their own clothing, and information is given on tools like sewing wheels, which seem harmless enough until you learn that the king of England had banned them. Descriptions of weavers, tailors, cobblers, tanners, milliners, and wig makers lead to a surprisingly welcome finale: the clothing of Native Americans. Though the books varied color palette is pleasing, Christensens squiggly cartoon art struggles to reach par and on occasion confuses, as when he attempts to give a detailed view of a weaving loom. These visuals makes the series a hard sell in a graphic-novel age, but the information contained within makes it worth it.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)