Nancy Bess Had a Dress

Nancy Bess and her mother go to the store. Mother tells Nancy Bess to choose whatever bag of flour she wants. She chooses one that has a pretty daisy pattern on a blue background. She doesn’t care that it is at the bottom of the stack. That is the one she wants. Nancy Bess and her mother bake up a storm, and soon that flour bag is empty. They measure, cut, stitch, and save every scrap.

Soon, Nancy Bess has a new dress. She wears it everywhere until the dress is too small for the growing girl. She measures, cuts, stitches, and saves every scrap, and soon she has an apron, then a satchel, then a scarf, etc. And so it goes until there is nothing left but scraps to make a quilt.

Claire Annette Noland has written a sweet story of how families did not waste anything in the Depression. Nancy Bess is a clever character who appreciates what she has and doesn’t complain about making do. Noland’s writing is lovely. The colorful illustrations by Angela C. Hawkins are simply enchanting with marvelous details filling every page and complementing the story perfectly. Kids will love this beautiful book.