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  • I’m Gonna Climb a Mountain in My Patent Leather Shoes by Marilyn Singer
  • Amy Atkinson
Singer, Marilyn I’m Gonna Climb a Mountain in My Patent Leather Shoes; illus. by Lynne Avril. Abrams, 2014 32p ISBN 978-1-4197-0336-2 $16.95     Ad 4-6 yrs

Sadie’s family camping trip requires her (as far as she’s concerned) to pack a trousseau of ruffled underpants, a purple party bag, and the titular patent leather shoes, all in her sparkly suitcase. Her opulent clothing choices don’t prevent her from pitching the pup tent or chasing a chipmunk, however, and she delights in her bravery as she contemplates tracking and lassoing Bigfoot with her “seven strings of pearls.” Sadie cuts a charming figure in Avril’s pastel chalk drawings, her cheeks a happy pink and her curly copper hair constantly restrained by a rhinestone tiara (except when a trip to the river requires a saucy wide-brimmed hat). As bright and energetic as Sadie herself, the full-bleed double-page spreads convey her colorful personality as they juxtapose her style choices with the natural world. The text, however, is less successful; the rhyming verse is catchy, but it fails to tell a clear story, and the Bigfoot plot is awkwardly interwoven. Still, micro fashionistas will enjoy both Sadie’s style and her spirit as she matches and even leads her brother in outdoorsmanship; the Ginger Rogers of camping, she matches him step for step—if not backward and in high heels, at least in a skirt and patent leather shoes.

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