I Love My Purse

by Marjo, Sonja Wimmer (Illustrator)

Overview

Charlie loves the bright red purse that his grandmother let him have. One day, he decides to take it to school. First his father, then his friends, and even the crossing guard question him about his “strange” choice. After all, boys don’t carry purses. They point out that they, too, have things they like, but that doesn’t mean they go out in public wearing them. But Charlie isn’t deterred.

Before long, his unselfconscious determination to carry a purse starts to affect those around him. His father puts on his favorite, though unconventional, Hawaiian shirt to go to work; his friend Charlotte paints her face, and the crossing guard wears a pair of sparkly shoes. Thanks to Charlie, everyone around him realizes that it isn’t always necessary to conform to societal norms. It’s more important to be true to yourself.

With its humorous, energetic illustrations, this book is ideal as a read-aloud or as a text for emerging readers. It can also be used as a starting point for a discussion about gender roles.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554519545
Publisher:	Annick Press, Limited
Publication date:	09/12/2017
Pages:	34
Sales rank:	165,101
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Belle DeMont is a writer and illustrator from Halifax, Nova Scotia. I Love My Purse is her first book.

Sonja Wimmer is an award-winning German illustrator and storyteller from Munich.

Editorial Reviews

2017-07-02
A purse-wearing boy inspires others to wear and do what they wish, too. Charlie, a brown-skinned boy with curly dark hair, loves the red purse his grandmother gave him and decides to wear it to school. His father objects, saying that Charlie shouldn't wear a purse to school since he's a boy, adding that he likes wearing his Hawaiian shirts, but they're not appropriate for the workplace. Charlie rejects his father's gender-role-conformist rationale in a matter-of-fact manner and carries on. Once at school, he encounters similar resistance and justifications from a white girl in his class and an older white boy (who say they don't indulge in face-painting and would prefer to make their own lunch, respectively, with the latter connection seeming rather dubious). A white crossing guard is the first who seems inspired by Charlie's determination to do as he pleases—the purse reminds him of his sparkly shoes. As the week progresses, all those who questioned Charlie's purse-wearing end up accepting his nonconformist streak and embracing their own uniqueness. Dad wears his Hawaiian shirt, the girl paints her face like a tiger, the crossing guard wears his sparkly shoes, and in a plot element that seems like a forced connection at best, the older boy takes over lunch preparation in the cafeteria. The art does little to expand upon the text and its tidy resolution, though its playful style provides visual appeal. Affirming of gender nonconformity if somewhat fragmented. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews