My Mannequins

by Sydell Waxman, illustrations by Patty Gallinger

"A charming and inviting story complemented by lively full-colour illustrations that capture the creative sparkle in a young dreamer's eyes." -Ottawa Jewish Bulletin

"...evocatively presents the life of a working-class girl...the reader sees how children worked as part of a family business and learns how garments were made...Gallinger's attention to period detail is superb...so vivid it almost comes to life..." -Canadian Children's Literature

"My Mannequins will delight those with the heart of an entrepeneur...the illustrations complement the text; a winning combination...This picture book has a maturity which will appeal to children in elementary grades...Dora is a desired and much-needed role model for the youth of today." -Resource Links

Dora's father owns a dressmaking shop in the bustling garment district of Toronto in the 1940s. Every day after school, ten-year-old Dora runs to help her father in the shop. As she works, she dreams of being a designer herself and dressing the soberly attired mannequins in her own beautiful creations. In Dora's imaginings, the mannequins seem to urge her on in her fantasy as Dora's busy father pays scant attention to daughter's activities.

One late afternoon after the shop has closed and while her father is working at his desk, Dora begins dressing up the mannequins. She uses remnants of bright cloth, ribbons and buttons that she finds lying around the shop floor, adding a bright scarf here and a sequin covered hat there. When her father suddenly decides they've stayed long enough, Dora is forced to leave her gaily dressed mannequins in the window, with very unexpected results.

ISBN 978-0929141-73-2 / Ages 7 and up/ Hardcover/ 8 1/4" x 9 1/2"/ 32 pages / 16 full-colour illustrations/ $18.95 CDN, $16.95 U.S.