Review: I Had a Favorite Dress

I Had a Favorite Dress by Boni Ashburn

My first introduction to Boni Ashburn was through her books, Hush, Little Dragon and Over in the Castle. I think they are adorable stories! When I noticed her newest title, I Had a Favorite Hat, Ashburn's name caught my eye. I had no idea she had written this book! Upon looking up the hat book, I saw I had a Favorite Dress. It was originally published in 2011, but Dreamscape Media published an audiobook (and video) edition this year (2015).

I was looking forward to listening to I Had a Favorite Dress. I enjoyed Ashburn's previous books and the narrator, Bahni Turpin, is a familiar voice. Bahni Turpin narrated The Help (along with Jenna Lamia, Cassandra Campbell, and Octavia Spencer) and The Mighty Miss Malone which are both fantastic stories.

The story is fun and creative. The young lady in the story has a favorite dress that doesn't fit, so Mama found a solution: make a new clothing piece. As time goes by the favorite dress turns into a skirt, a scarf, and a bow (to name a few). It's a fun way to look at reusing something and being industrious. I also thought it was fun that the girl talked about her favorite day of the week, which always changed as the clothing changed.

Narrator, Bahni Turpin is talented. Her voice is youthful without being childish. It sounded like a natural fit for the story. Along with Turpin's narration Dreamscape added music and sound effects. The music was lovely guitar music. Only one sound effect stood out - a dog bark at the beginning. I listened to the audiobook without the book and if the reader has the book they can see that there is a pet dog in the story. (The pet dog does have a role later in the story.)

I would recommend listening and reading the book together. It can be enjoyed separately, but the final project is unknown if the book is read only as an audiobook. The girl in story turned her "scraps and bits" into "this." What was "this"? I'm glad I had the library book with me. "This" is a picture she created of her favorite dress - very clever but also confusing. I understand that words cannot be added to an unabridged recording or a published book, but it would have been helpful to readers.

I Had a Favorite Dress is a picture book. I think tots to early elementary students would enjoy this story. Different themes of this book include mother, daughter, clothing, sewing, art, and days of the week. I am intrigued to see if I Had a Favorite Hat  will also turned into an audiobook.

Reviewed from an Audiobook Jukebox copy. Thank you, Dreamscape Media, LLC!

Audio Book Details...
I Had a Favorite Dress by Boni Ashburn
Read by Bahni Turpin
Produced by Dreamscape Media, LLC
Number of Discs: 1
Total Time: 8 minutes
ISBN: 9781633797888