Mary Wears What She Wants

by Keith Negley, Keith Negley (Illustrator)

Overview

From the award-winning creator of My Dad Used to Be So Cool and Tough Guys Have Feelings Too comes a charming picture book inspired by the true story of Mary Edwards Walker, a trailblazing 19th-century doctor who was arrested many times for wearing pants.

Once upon a time (but not that long ago), girls only wore dresses. And only boys wore pants.

Until one day, a young girl named Mary had an idea: She would wear whatever she wanted. And she wanted to wear pants!

This bold, original picture book encourages readers to think for themselves while gently challenging gender and societal norms.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062846792
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/15/2019
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	167,891
Product dimensions:	10.50(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Keith Negley is the author and illustrator of A Lot Like Batman, The Boy and the Wild Blue Girl, Mary Wears What She Wants, My Dad Used to Be So Cool, and Tough Guys (Have Feelings Too). He has received multiple medals from the Society of Illustrators as well as recognition from American Illustration. His artwork has been featured in many publications, and he is a frequent contributor to the New York Times and the New Yorker. Keith lives in Bellingham, Washington. 

Keith Negley is the author and illustrator of A Lot Like Batman, The Boy and the Wild Blue Girl, Mary Wears What She Wants, My Dad Used to Be So Cool, and Tough Guys (Have Feelings Too). He has received multiple medals from the Society of Illustrators as well as recognition from American Illustration. His artwork has been featured in many publications, and he is a frequent contributor to the New York Times and the New Yorker. Keith lives in Bellingham, Washington. 

Editorial Reviews

12/10/2018

Negley’s strong-minded heroine is loosely based on Mary Edwards Walker, a trailblazing female physician born in 1832 who was “arrested repeatedly” for wearing trousers. The pint-size Walker hates wearing the “heavy-and-hot-and-hard-to-breathe-in dresses” of her era and believes that “the way things have always been” didn’t have to stay that way. Negley’s distinctive graphic style features clownlike figures and dominating splashes of shocking pink, blue, and yellow. When Walker sports a pair of pants and is maligned by disapproving townsfolk, she expresses her frustrations to her father, a sympathetic figure with an inky black beard and long silhouette. Sometimes all it takes is one courageous person to challenge the rules: to the girl’s delight, other girls embrace wearing pants, too. Back matter provides a photo of Walker along with brief biographical content. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Winter 2018

K-Gr 2—Inspired by the early life of Mary Edwards Walker, this brief fictional account highlights Dr. Walker's childhood rebellion against the traditional dress of women and girls in the mid to late 1800s. Supported by her parents, she wore pants as she pleased for freedom of movement and comfort. This brief book is a celebration of her early independent thought, fight against social dress norms of the day, and her eventual lifelong career and dedication to medicine and hygiene. Young Mary's self-confidence, support from her father, and personal battle at an early age are presented here—illustrated strongly with shocked adult reactions to a strong-willed child and angry town residents with signs chasing her on the way to school. A short biographical note by the author does not mention the early school she attended that was founded by her forward-thinking parents, but does include her continued independence in dress, her choice of education, and career as a surgeon and activist for the rest of her life. Art in pencil and paper collage with a multitude of prints in pinks and grays create the diverse array of characters in Mary's world. VERDICT A supplemental purchase inspired by a noted American woman in the field of medicine.—Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX

School Library Journal

2018-09-30

A young schoolgirl learns to follow her own rules despite opposition and pressure in this picture book inspired by Mary Edward Walker.

In the early 1800s, girls weren't allowed to wear pants. Only "uncomfortable dresses…heavy-and-hot-and-hard-to-breathe-in dresses." The expressive pink and blue drawings and patterns on ample white space show unhappy, immobile girls, while boys in pants cartwheel, jump, run, and play. But one day Mary has an idea. She wears pants. The townspeople are shocked! They heckle her, they throw things at her, they tell her not to wear boys' clothes. In a touching scene, she sits with her father and asks if she should stop wearing pants. He says that people sometimes fear what they don't understand, but he doesn't tell her what to do. She decides to stick with her decision: "I'm wearing my clothes!" In the end, she's a trendsetter. The constant association of skirts with frowns and pants with happiness oversimplifies both the historical moment and a modern-day environment in which skirts are the norm in many cultures. The sudden appearance of all the girls in pants (and smiles) at the end as well as multiracial faces among both hecklers and classmates make this more of a story than a biography. But the example of following one's inner compass and bucking the status quo comes across loud and clear. A note on the historical Walker, a white woman who served as a surgeon during the Civil War, is appended.

An endearing delivery of a valuable message, to be taken with several grains of salt. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews