Ava is excited about her upcoming quinceañera—and her mother is excited about buying her a new dress for it. Ava, however, thinks dresses itch, pinch, and get in the way. She has a different idea. “I want to dance in pants,” she asserts.
After a trip to the mall, where no dress satisfies Ava, her mother relents, and asks what she wants. Ava points to a sparkly suit. Her mother notes that she’ll be the only girl wearing one, but Ava is undeterred.
Indeed, at the quinceañera, all of the other girls are in a variety of floofy, poofy, and frilly dresses. They wonder at Ava’s suit, but Ava stands proud and confident. As the party goes on, however, the girls’ dresses begin to pinch, itch, and ride up. They’re all uncomfortable. There’s only one solution….
Author Jess Hernandez imbues the text with rhythm, flow, and occasional rhyme, making this a fun read as well as one with a nice message about self-confidence and feeling comfortable.
This isn’t a queer-inclusive book per se, but Ava’s gender creativity is enough for me to include it in this database. Hernandez explains in an Author’s Note that she has sensory processing issues, and this makes it hard for her to wear store-bought fancy dresses, which don’t always use soft fabrics. She wrote the book “hoping to let kids like Ava—and like me—know that it’s okay to want to be comfortable and wear what feels good.” Whether for reasons of sensory issues or of gender, many readers should enjoy this recommended volume.
(I am tagging this book as having a neurodiverse protagonist, because it was sparked by the author’s sensory processing issues and readers seeking such representation may find it useful. The book itself, however, is unclear about whether Ava has sensory issues or simply finds dresses uncomfortable and awkward.)
