Molly's tuxedo

It's picture day at school, and Molly is beyond excited to finally wear an outfit that feels like her: her brother's old tuxedo, which hangs shining and sparkling in his closet. But when her mom brings home a frilly, stiff, not-like-Molly-at-all dress for her to wear and won't hear her side of the story, Molly is disappointed that she won't have a chance to be herself. When Molly's mom finally understands Molly's feelings and expresses her wish for her daughter to be happy, Molly makes the choice to be true to herself and wears what she wants. Reid's exuberant, adorable illustration style brings Johnson's story--and Molly and her unique and proud self--to life, depicting the sheer joy that ensues in this story about doing what feels right and best for you, rounded out with a subtle message about the importance of parents, siblings, and friends being supporters and allies who champion what makes kids special.

As Molly, portrayed with pink skin and red hair, heads into her first picture day as a kindergartner, she wants an "update" for the family photo wall. But the child knows that "dresses were trouble," and is horrified when her mother picks one "with a weird, annoying collar" and "fluffy, puffy parts." Instead, she wants to wear her brother's old tuxedo: "Dashing. Comfortable. Plenty of pockets," Johnson writes. Reid's scribbly art style shows Molly experiencing her mom's and others' expectations ("I didn't think girls could wear tuxedos," a classmate says), her racially diverse friend group's support, and her relieved reaction to her parent's sudden change of heart: "You decide what you want to wear, okay?" Starring a protagonist facing outward pressure to conform to binary gender norms, this picture book about self-expression foregrounds the self-knowledge involved in feeling one's best and looking "like you." Ages 4--8. (June)