Fred Gets Dressed

by Peter Brown (Author)

Reading Level: K − 1st Grade

From a New York Times bestselling author and Caldecott-honor winning artist comes an exuberant illustrated story about playing dress up, having fun, and feeling free.

The boy loves to be naked. He romps around his house naked and wild and free. Until he romps into his parents' closet and is inspired to get dressed. First he tries on his dad's clothes, but they don't fit well. Then he tries on his mom's clothes, and wow! The boy looks great. He looks through his mom's jewelry and makeup and tries that on, too. When he's discovered by his mother and father, the whole family (including the dog!) get in on the fun, and they all get dressed together.

This charming and humorous story was inspired by bestselling and award-winning author Peter Brown's own childhood, and highlights nontraditional gender roles and self-expression.

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Hardcover
$18.99

Kirkus

Starred Review
Positive, powerful, and affirming. 

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1-In this delightful look at kids, clothes, and imagination, a white child named Fred starts out wearing nothing: "He romps through the house naked and wild and free." Appealing illustrations capture the child's carefree joy as he dances, jumps, and plays without a trace of self-consciousness. The naked playtime shifts, though, when he enters his parents' bedroom. In the closet, he looks at his father's clothes, but they don't fit. On his mother's side, however, he finds a blouse that fits like a dress on him, and shoes that are wobbly, but wearable. Then he decides to accessorize. The sequence of illustrations neatly supports the boy's thought processes, with varied layouts that compare his evaluations of what each parent's clothing has to offer. Fred's choice of clothing is both practical (they fit better) and preferential (they seem more fun). When the climactic scene of his parents' entry arrives, Fred has added jewelry and messily applied lipstick. Consecutive wordless spreads capture the moment perfectly: blank looks from the adults that quickly turn to smiles as the mother offers grooming techniques and even the dog is playfully adorned. The closing image shows that Fred is finally "mostly dressed" though bare from the waist down. Themes of acceptance, family love, and gender nonconformity resonate without overwhelming the simple story. VERDICT A fun, funny, and insightful look at accepting kids just as they are.-Steven Engelfried, Wilsonville P.L.

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission

ALA/Booklist

Starred Review
A wonderful celebration of self.

Publishers Weekly

First establishing his protagonist’s delight in zooming around the house “naked and wild and free,” Brown (The Wild Robot) shows white-skinned, brown-haired Fred striking one joyful pose after another. But when Fred ends up in a magical place—his parents’ closet—getting dressed becomes irresistible. He has trouble donning his father’s shirt and tie, but Mom’s clothes are a different story. The book’s limited palette of olive, brown, and bright pink combines to form a wardrobe that, to Fred’s eyes, is razzle-dazzle—and his mother’s makeup and jewelry only add to the allure. When Mom and Dad discover Fred, now dressed in a blouse-and-scarf turned frock, heels, and a dash of lipstick, Brown draws the scene as a parent-child stand-off, an ominous beat that seems to suggest potential conflict. But a page turn reveals smiles and everyone—down to the family dog—getting into the dress-up game: Mom gives makeup lessons, and Dad dons blush and jewelry. With nonjudgmental parents who appreciate their son however he dresses, Fred really has it all. Well, almost—as the final cheeky image shows, he could use a pair of underpants. Ages 3–6.

Copyright 2021 Publisher's Weekly Used with permission

Review quotes



Like it!!!!!! LOL!

He is naked and it was funny for me.I really like this book!

best book of all time

I like Fred gets dressed because he rmoe not dressed

it was so funny

It was cool and funny beacuse it shows that he didn't want to get dressed then he wanted to get dressed

this book is awesome and amazing

I just love this book so much because wen he gets dressed his parents dont get mad :)

I love this book

Before I read fred gets dreesed when I looked at the cover of the book I stared laufh.I thaut the book was about fred running around naked.But when his partes soul him in couths I thout they were going to be mad!

Peter Brown
Peter Brown is the author and illustrator of many bestselling children's books, including Children Make Terrible Pets, Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, and The Curious Garden. He is also the author of the bestselling middle-grade duology The Wild Robot and The Wild Robot Escapes. He is the recipient of a Caldecott Honor for Creepy Carrots!, two E.B. White Read Aloud Awards, a New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book award, and a Children's Choice Award for Illustrator of the Year. Peter's website is www.peterbrownstudio.com.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780316200646
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date
May 04, 2021
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV051000 - Juvenile Fiction | Imagination & Play
JUV005000 - Juvenile Fiction | Boys & Men
JUV048000 - Juvenile Fiction | Clothing & Dress
Library of Congress categories
Clothing and dress
Parent and child

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