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Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli: A Colorful Picture Book Biography About a Girl Who Captivated Paris Fashion for Children
A dazzling picture book biography of one of the world's most influential designers, Elsa Schiaparelli.
Elsa dared to be different, and her story will not only dazzle, it will inspire the artist and fashionista in everyone who reads it.
By the 1930s Elsa Schiaparelli had captivated the fashion world in Paris, but before that, she was a little girl in Rome who didn’t feel pretty at all. Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli is the enchanting story for young readers of how a young girl used her imagination and emerged from plain to extraordinary.
As a young girl in Rome, Elsa Schiaparelli (1890–1973) felt “brutta” (ugly) and searched all around her for beauty. Seeing the colors of Rome’s flower market one day, young Elsa tried to plant seeds in her ears and nose, hoping to blossom like a flower. All she got was sick, but from that moment, she discovered her own wild imagination.
In the 1920 and '30s, influenced by her friends in the surrealist art movement, Schiaparelli created a vast collection of unique fashion designs—hats shaped like shoes, a dress adorned with lobsters, gloves with fingernails, a dress with drawers and so many more. She mixed her own bold colors and invented her own signature shades, including shocking pink.
Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli is a stunning and sophisticated picture book biography that follows Schiaparelli’s life from birth and childhood to height of success.
Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad (creators of Julia, Child) have gorgeously interpreted Schiaparelli’s life. Maclear tells a lyrical story with moments both poignant and humorous and Morstad’s elegant imagery saturates the pages with Schiaparelli-inspired shapes and colors.
Informative backmatter and suggested further reading included.
Elsa dared to be different, and her story will not only dazzle, it will inspire the artist and fashionista in everyone who reads it.
By the 1930s Elsa Schiaparelli had captivated the fashion world in Paris, but before that, she was a little girl in Rome who didn’t feel pretty at all. Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli is the enchanting story for young readers of how a young girl used her imagination and emerged from plain to extraordinary.
As a young girl in Rome, Elsa Schiaparelli (1890–1973) felt “brutta” (ugly) and searched all around her for beauty. Seeing the colors of Rome’s flower market one day, young Elsa tried to plant seeds in her ears and nose, hoping to blossom like a flower. All she got was sick, but from that moment, she discovered her own wild imagination.
In the 1920 and '30s, influenced by her friends in the surrealist art movement, Schiaparelli created a vast collection of unique fashion designs—hats shaped like shoes, a dress adorned with lobsters, gloves with fingernails, a dress with drawers and so many more. She mixed her own bold colors and invented her own signature shades, including shocking pink.
Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli is a stunning and sophisticated picture book biography that follows Schiaparelli’s life from birth and childhood to height of success.
Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad (creators of Julia, Child) have gorgeously interpreted Schiaparelli’s life. Maclear tells a lyrical story with moments both poignant and humorous and Morstad’s elegant imagery saturates the pages with Schiaparelli-inspired shapes and colors.
Informative backmatter and suggested further reading included.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published February 6, 2018
4 people are currently reading
509 people want to read
About the author
Kyo Maclear
32 books497 followersKyo Maclear is an essayist, novelist and children’s author. She was born in London, England and moved to Toronto at the age of four with her British father (a foreign correspondent and documentary filmmaker) and Japanese mother (a painter and art dealer).
Her books have been translated into eighteen languages, published in over twenty-five countries, and garnered nominations from the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction, the Governor General’s Literary Awards, the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Awards, the Amazon.ca First Novel Award, the National Magazine Awards, among other honours.
Unearthing: a Story of Tangled Love and Family Secrets (2023) was a national bestseller and awarded the Governor General’s Literary Award for Nonfiction. Her hybrid memoir Birds Art Life (2017) was a #1 National Bestseller and winner of the Trillium Book Award and the Nautilus Book Award for Lyrical Prose. It was named one of the best books of 2017 by The Globe and Mail, CBC, Now Magazine, the National Post, Forbes, the Chicago Review of Books, and Book Riot.
Her work has appeared in Orion Magazine, Brick, Border Crossings, The Millions, LitHub, The Volta, Prefix Photo, Resilience, The Guardian, Lion’s Roar, Azure, The Globe and Mail, and elsewhere. She has been a national arts reviewer for Canadian Art and a monthly arts columnist for Toronto Life.
Kyo holds a doctorate in environmental humanities teaches creative writing with The Humber School for Writers and the University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA.
She lives in Tkaronto/Toronto, on the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the New Credit, the Haudenosaunee, Métis, and the Huron-Wendat.
Her books have been translated into eighteen languages, published in over twenty-five countries, and garnered nominations from the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction, the Governor General’s Literary Awards, the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Awards, the Amazon.ca First Novel Award, the National Magazine Awards, among other honours.
Unearthing: a Story of Tangled Love and Family Secrets (2023) was a national bestseller and awarded the Governor General’s Literary Award for Nonfiction. Her hybrid memoir Birds Art Life (2017) was a #1 National Bestseller and winner of the Trillium Book Award and the Nautilus Book Award for Lyrical Prose. It was named one of the best books of 2017 by The Globe and Mail, CBC, Now Magazine, the National Post, Forbes, the Chicago Review of Books, and Book Riot.
Her work has appeared in Orion Magazine, Brick, Border Crossings, The Millions, LitHub, The Volta, Prefix Photo, Resilience, The Guardian, Lion’s Roar, Azure, The Globe and Mail, and elsewhere. She has been a national arts reviewer for Canadian Art and a monthly arts columnist for Toronto Life.
Kyo holds a doctorate in environmental humanities teaches creative writing with The Humber School for Writers and the University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA.
She lives in Tkaronto/Toronto, on the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the New Credit, the Haudenosaunee, Métis, and the Huron-Wendat.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
November 14, 2019
I’m not the least into fashion but I am very into the picture books of Kyo Maclear and especially when illustrated by one of my favorite artists, Julie Morstad; the two of them were also the creators of another fine book, Julia, Child. Both books are biographies about women they view as powerful artists. Just look at that cover and tell me this won’t be a dazzling book! You can’t do it!
Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli is a kind of slight telling of her life but there are poignant details that will stay with you. Her parents never found her beautiful, but she became curious about just was beautiful; she found a way to create a kind of meditation on beauty from a variety of different perspectives in her career. She hung out with friends in the surrealist art movement, and invented hats shaped like shoes, a dress adorned with lobsters, gloves with fingernails, and so on. When she was small she loved flowers and wanted herself to bloom so stuck seeds in her ears and mouth and nose and eyes, hoping they would bloom. They didn’t, but her career was nevertheless a kind of blooming itself. I liked Julia, Child better, but this was lovely, lyrical.
October 16, 2020
Canadian author/illustrator team Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad, whose other collaborations include
Julia, Child
and
It Began with a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way
, turn in this marvelous picture-book biography to the story of Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. Born in Rome in 1890, into an aristocratic family, Elsa (or 'Schiap,' as she came to be known in later life) always felt like an ugly duckling compared to her elder sister. A lover of beauty with a creative eye, she became enraptured by the possibilities all around her from an early age, trying to grow flowers on her face, jumping out of a third-floor window to emulate da Vinci's flying machine. Eventually, she put her talent and vision to work as a fashion designer, collaborating with some of the great artists of her day, from Picasso to Jean Cocteau, and creating some astonishingly original work...
After enjoying Maclear and Morstad's book about Gyo Fujikawa, I sought out Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli, and I was not disappointed. The story is engaging, highlighting how its eponymous heroine stuck to her own creative vision and impulse, and accomplished something new in her field. The accompanying artwork was simply gorgeous, capturing the magic and beauty of both Schiaparelli's youthful dreams and imaginings, and her more mature creations. I don't really know very much about high fashion, nor (if I am being honest) is it a subject that usually holds much interest for me, but I nevertheless found Schiaparelli's story quite engrossing, appreciating how she marched to the beat of her own drum, and left behind what could have been a very comfortable life with her affluent family, in order to follow her dreams. I was also quite impressed by the list of artists with whom she collaborated, and by the fact (as mentioned in the afterword) that she always paid her workers well. If I had any criticism to make of the book, it is that no mention is made, either in the main narrative or in the afterword, that Schiaparelli's fashion house only flourished during the interwar period, and folded after the end of WWII, because it couldn't keep up with post-war trends. This is a lost opportunity, I think, as this fact could have been used to emphasize that, while short-lived, her fashion house had a longer influence on the wider fashion world.
I would recommend this one to picture-book readers looking for stories about fashion designers, and about following one's own artistic vision. It could be paired with a picture-book biography of Coco Chanel, who was Schiaparelli's rival, or with something like Fancy Party Gowns: The Story of Fashion Designer Ann Cole Lowe , which details the story of an African-American dressmaker and designer who faced a very different set of challenges, in her work in the fashion world.
After enjoying Maclear and Morstad's book about Gyo Fujikawa, I sought out Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli, and I was not disappointed. The story is engaging, highlighting how its eponymous heroine stuck to her own creative vision and impulse, and accomplished something new in her field. The accompanying artwork was simply gorgeous, capturing the magic and beauty of both Schiaparelli's youthful dreams and imaginings, and her more mature creations. I don't really know very much about high fashion, nor (if I am being honest) is it a subject that usually holds much interest for me, but I nevertheless found Schiaparelli's story quite engrossing, appreciating how she marched to the beat of her own drum, and left behind what could have been a very comfortable life with her affluent family, in order to follow her dreams. I was also quite impressed by the list of artists with whom she collaborated, and by the fact (as mentioned in the afterword) that she always paid her workers well. If I had any criticism to make of the book, it is that no mention is made, either in the main narrative or in the afterword, that Schiaparelli's fashion house only flourished during the interwar period, and folded after the end of WWII, because it couldn't keep up with post-war trends. This is a lost opportunity, I think, as this fact could have been used to emphasize that, while short-lived, her fashion house had a longer influence on the wider fashion world.
I would recommend this one to picture-book readers looking for stories about fashion designers, and about following one's own artistic vision. It could be paired with a picture-book biography of Coco Chanel, who was Schiaparelli's rival, or with something like Fancy Party Gowns: The Story of Fashion Designer Ann Cole Lowe , which details the story of an African-American dressmaker and designer who faced a very different set of challenges, in her work in the fashion world.
September 15, 2022
Quite beautiful! I feel we get a sense of Elsa’s personality and style from both the text and illustrations. I appreciate the way direct quotes are woven into the story and the author’s note provides further illumination. I appreciate that a photograph of Elsa is included in the back, but I do wish that some photographs of her clothing were also included. That said, I do feel the illustrations do an excellent job of conveying the styles – not only how they look in an objective sense but the essence of them and how they were meant to make one feel. Very well done!
January 26, 2018
Full disclosure, I am a HUGE Kyo Maclear fan and love everything she writes. Bloom is no exception. Throw in the fact it is illustrated by the magnificent Julie Morstad and you have a five star picture book on your hands.
Bloom is the true story about avant guard fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli; miles ahead of her time and not afraid to be bold, outrageous, and creative. Honestly, after reading the book I fell down a Google rabbit hole, needing to know more information about this incredibly courageous woman. The drive to learn more about a subject is the mark of a fantastic book. This story will have your students/children, wanting to learn more. Bloom provides an excellent portrayal of Elsa Schiaparelli without being overly wordy and overly detailed. It’s perfect for the 6-10 year old audience. I would even share it with those younger and older, especially as an anchor text to any discussion about perseverance and courage. Kyo Maclear gets to the heart of who Schiaparelli was and her impact on the world of fashion and the women’s movement. Bloom is an incredibly timely book which provides encouragement to those out there who may feel less than. It is a study in beauty and how we define beauty in ourselves and in what we view in the world. Schiaparelli continues to be an example for all young people who strive to add a little colour and light to the world, to those just waiting to Bloom.
Bloom is the true story about avant guard fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli; miles ahead of her time and not afraid to be bold, outrageous, and creative. Honestly, after reading the book I fell down a Google rabbit hole, needing to know more information about this incredibly courageous woman. The drive to learn more about a subject is the mark of a fantastic book. This story will have your students/children, wanting to learn more. Bloom provides an excellent portrayal of Elsa Schiaparelli without being overly wordy and overly detailed. It’s perfect for the 6-10 year old audience. I would even share it with those younger and older, especially as an anchor text to any discussion about perseverance and courage. Kyo Maclear gets to the heart of who Schiaparelli was and her impact on the world of fashion and the women’s movement. Bloom is an incredibly timely book which provides encouragement to those out there who may feel less than. It is a study in beauty and how we define beauty in ourselves and in what we view in the world. Schiaparelli continues to be an example for all young people who strive to add a little colour and light to the world, to those just waiting to Bloom.
September 30, 2021
Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli is a children's picture book written by Kyo Maclear and illustrated by Julie Morstad. It is an exuberant fictionalized rendering of designer Elsa Schiaparelli's early life.
Elsa Schiaparelli was an Italian fashion designer. Along with Coco Chanel, her greatest rival, she is regarded as one of the most prominent figures in fashion between the two World Wars.
Maclear's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Maclear's intimate, first-person, present-tense account begins with how the young Schiaparelli internalized her parents' affection for her beautiful older sister and their palpable disappointment in their less-attractive second child. Backmatter includes an author and illustrator's note, endnotes, and bibliography. Morstad's vivid mixed-media have an imaginativeness to match Schiaparelli's surrealistic designs and feature splashes of Schiaparelli’s trademark shade of pink.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It begins with her dreary childhood in Rome, where the bright colors of market flowers brought her joy in a family that dismissed her as ugly. Schiaparelli's passion for color and beauty never waned, and as a single mother in Paris, Schiaparelli discovered a community of artists, who helped foster her artistic identity.
All in all, Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli is a gorgeous portrayal of this 20th-century creative genius.
Elsa Schiaparelli was an Italian fashion designer. Along with Coco Chanel, her greatest rival, she is regarded as one of the most prominent figures in fashion between the two World Wars.
Maclear's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Maclear's intimate, first-person, present-tense account begins with how the young Schiaparelli internalized her parents' affection for her beautiful older sister and their palpable disappointment in their less-attractive second child. Backmatter includes an author and illustrator's note, endnotes, and bibliography. Morstad's vivid mixed-media have an imaginativeness to match Schiaparelli's surrealistic designs and feature splashes of Schiaparelli’s trademark shade of pink.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It begins with her dreary childhood in Rome, where the bright colors of market flowers brought her joy in a family that dismissed her as ugly. Schiaparelli's passion for color and beauty never waned, and as a single mother in Paris, Schiaparelli discovered a community of artists, who helped foster her artistic identity.
All in all, Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli is a gorgeous portrayal of this 20th-century creative genius.
March 25, 2018
I must give this picture book four stars because the illustration is so lush.
The opening scene shows two disappointed parents looking down on their baby daughter. Of course the idea was that they wanted a son. They already had a daughter so the idea of having a son isn't too shocking. Many people would like a boy and a girl, and it doesn't mean that girls aren't valued. My concern with the text was that it made females look downtrodden, and that Schiaparelli succeeded despite many odds. Keep in mind that she came from an aristocratic family who had made a number of intellectual contributions.
I don't think that we want girls to get the message that they can only succeed despite great odds against them. It sets a tone that isn't helpful for an elementary student.
The opening scene shows two disappointed parents looking down on their baby daughter. Of course the idea was that they wanted a son. They already had a daughter so the idea of having a son isn't too shocking. Many people would like a boy and a girl, and it doesn't mean that girls aren't valued. My concern with the text was that it made females look downtrodden, and that Schiaparelli succeeded despite many odds. Keep in mind that she came from an aristocratic family who had made a number of intellectual contributions.
I don't think that we want girls to get the message that they can only succeed despite great odds against them. It sets a tone that isn't helpful for an elementary student.
May 29, 2018
A picture book biography of Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli who didn't feel loved or lovely as a child, and didn't have quick success as an adult, but eventually became a famous fashion designer with unconventional styles and colors.
Most readers will know Elsa Schiaparelli best for the colors the introduced to the world, like shocking pink and ice blue. Her story is a little sad, especially the way her parents treated her growing up. But eventually Elsa's story is that you shouldn't give up. She wasn't a "success" until her late 30s, an age that will seem quite old to the target audience. Some readers will be enthralled most by her brave and unique sense of style. A bittersweet but in the end hopeful picture book biography.
Most readers will know Elsa Schiaparelli best for the colors the introduced to the world, like shocking pink and ice blue. Her story is a little sad, especially the way her parents treated her growing up. But eventually Elsa's story is that you shouldn't give up. She wasn't a "success" until her late 30s, an age that will seem quite old to the target audience. Some readers will be enthralled most by her brave and unique sense of style. A bittersweet but in the end hopeful picture book biography.
July 1, 2018
The queen of Shocking Pink! This is discussed in the book right after she wears a shoe for a hat. I really bought this for the illustrations but it's a great little biography of her life, work, and contemporaries.
April 3, 2018
An interesting look at fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli the creator of shocking pink. Her non-traditional designs hit Paris by storm. This story serves to inspire readers to follow their dreams and don't be detoured by the obstacles you may face.
April 24, 2018
Not being remotely into fashion, I'm not the right audience for this book at all. I tend to think of older children as getting into fashion, so this seems to be missing its audience to some degree. It's really pretty and well told, though.
May 6, 2018
Beautifully made and intriguing.
August 15, 2020
Bloom inspires the reader to dream hard, work hard and believe in yourself even harder! This success story will encourage your children to never give up on their dreams.
I have one word for this book. Unique. This was entirely a new experience for me. To be able to translate a memoir into a storybook completely captured me.
The Illustrations
What a stunning book! The illustrations came across as energetic. The use of color and detail tells the story with emotion that words alone would not have been able to tell. It was because of the illustrations that I was finding myself connecting with the story of Elsa.
The Characters
Based on a true story, this beautiful memoir told through images pulled the characters to the forefront. Elsa, the main character, goes through challenging childhood moments. Born in Rome in 1890 she was given the nickname “brute” which translates to ugly while her sister was given the nickname “bella”, beauty. Because of this traumatizing beginning as a child she tried to plant flowers into her face to make herself beautiful. While this make my heart crack a little it was truly the beginning of her creativity flow. An ugly duckling that turns into one of the most colourful fashion designers in the world.
The Themes
So many themes were covered in this book! So much for children to pick up on and to learn about. I wanted to focus on my favourite theme throughout the book to talk about. The celerbration of the creative spirit. It really encourages the reader to be passionate about their creativity and follow it no matter what. I love how inspiring this book is to children, heck even to adults! I found myself inspired to keep following my dreams.
**Thank you Penguin Canada for sending me a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for an honest review.**
I have one word for this book. Unique. This was entirely a new experience for me. To be able to translate a memoir into a storybook completely captured me.
The Illustrations
What a stunning book! The illustrations came across as energetic. The use of color and detail tells the story with emotion that words alone would not have been able to tell. It was because of the illustrations that I was finding myself connecting with the story of Elsa.
The Characters
Based on a true story, this beautiful memoir told through images pulled the characters to the forefront. Elsa, the main character, goes through challenging childhood moments. Born in Rome in 1890 she was given the nickname “brute” which translates to ugly while her sister was given the nickname “bella”, beauty. Because of this traumatizing beginning as a child she tried to plant flowers into her face to make herself beautiful. While this make my heart crack a little it was truly the beginning of her creativity flow. An ugly duckling that turns into one of the most colourful fashion designers in the world.
The Themes
So many themes were covered in this book! So much for children to pick up on and to learn about. I wanted to focus on my favourite theme throughout the book to talk about. The celerbration of the creative spirit. It really encourages the reader to be passionate about their creativity and follow it no matter what. I love how inspiring this book is to children, heck even to adults! I found myself inspired to keep following my dreams.
**Thank you Penguin Canada for sending me a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for an honest review.**
February 16, 2019
This one seemed to sort of miss the mark with Kait (and I didn’t even try to get Maddie to listen to it.) Kait is into both pink and dresses, but something about the way the story was told seemed to bore her a bit. That said, the illustrations are just gorgeous and it was a good introduction to biography.
December 22, 2021
What a marvelous, colourful, inspirational book! It makes me want to wear a suit of shocking pink! (Or ice blue!) This tale of courage and perseverance should be a staple of night-time stories read to all children!
May 13, 2019
Kyo Maclear does it again. I just love her children’s books, especially the biographical ones.
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September 3, 2018
A very interesting story about a girl who grew up to be an inspirational, inventive, talented fashion designer.
October 19, 2018
Where were these books when I was a kid? Again, born at the wrong time.
March 11, 2022
Bellissime le illustrazioni e bellissima la storia di Elsa. Sarebbe ottima da leggere a bambine e ragazze per spronarle ad usare sempre l’immaginazione.
August 27, 2018
Superb in every way.
May 1, 2018
Bold beauty. Quiet beauty. Hidden beauty.
By the age of seven, I wonder: What makes something beautiful?
Canadian author and artist duo Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad have worked together previously- on the delightful and beautiful picture book Julia, Child- and return here in glorious , vibrant and poetic fashion with Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli. A biographical picture book about the life of the illustrious, rule-breaking and rule-bending designer Elsa Schiaparelli, Bloom takes readers through major moments, breakthroughs, and legacies in the designer's life.
Bloom is told in the first-person narrative of Elsa, and opens to a scene in which a newborn Elsa looks up to frowning parents who, we are informed, had been hoping to have a boy. As we soon learn, Elsa's older sister Beatrice- apparently favoured by their mother- is recognized as the bella in the family, while Elsa is called brutta- ugly. This harsh judgment of ugliness by her own immediate family seems to remain a relatively constant cloud in much of Elsa’s early (and perhaps later) life. It is through a failed experiment involving flower seeds, as well as the encouragement from an innovative and kind uncle, that ‘a seed of wild imagination’ and artistry is planted in Elsa- something that moves her and propels her life and life's work to be 'daring, different, and whole...[to] plant a new seed of beauty'. With Maclear's beautifully melodic, empathetic storytelling style leading the way, Morstad's incredible, meaningful illustrations follow to highlight just some of Elsa's significant moments: her stirring time with artists such as Picasso and Dahli; her Trompe l'oeil design breakthrough; the mixing and making of her signature shocking pink; and 'why not' approach to making fashion for women extravagant, unusual, bold, colourful, talked-about- and unforgettable.
Overall, Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli is a gorgeous work that balances biography, lyricism, and art in picture book format. For readers who adore biographical picture books, or simply love Kyo Maclear's and Julie Morstad's respective (or joint!) work, Bloom is a sensorial feast whether read quietly or shared aloud. Those both familiar and unfamiliar with Schiaparelli's life and continuing influence in fashion will likely find something- or many things!- to appreciate and savour about Bloom. At the back pages, A Note from the Author and the Illustrator mentions that 'it is difficult to express everything [Schiaparelli] was and did in such a short book'; Maclear and Morstad have added a concise yet rich catalog of the designer's contributions, as well as a list of Sources and Further Reading for those interested.
I received a copy of this title courtesy of Penguin Random House Canada/Tundra Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and comments are my own.
August 16, 2018
Fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli grew up feeling ugly. She planted a new seed of beauty with her fashion designs. Beauty is not about conforming to certain standards. Elsa was imperfectly perfect.
August 17, 2018
Stunning and inspiring!
July 31, 2018
This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!
Hello, friends! Our book today is Bloom: A Story Of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli, written by Kyo Maclear and illustrated by Julie Morstad, a moving story of the fashion innovator and her passion for color and redefining beauty.
When Elsa was born in 1890 in Rome, her parents were disappointed – they had wanted a boy. Her mother heavily favored her older sister, giving her the nickname “Bella”. She gave a nickname to Elsa as well: “Brutta”, Italian for “Ugly.” Elsa so wished to be beautiful that she tried to plant flower seeds in her ears and mouth so she could grow a face full of the beautiful flowers of Rome, but she only made herself sick. But from these heartbreaking beginnings, an artist grew; Elsa went on to travel the world, to learn how to design and construct clothes, to become friends with prominent artists such as Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. She became a massive success – people adored her colorful, playful fashions that let women express themselves. She even invented her own color with Jean Clemént: “Shocking Pink”! All because Elsa decided that she would let no one else define her beauty – she was beautiful just the way she was.
Wow! I was not expecting this at all. I confess to having never heard of Elsa before reading the book, and the experience of learning her story was a moving one. I adored that the story was told from the first person – it allowed a real connection with Elsa, and insight into her feelings and motivations. Morstad’s illustrations are as stunning and energetic as always, and she uses color and detail to make each illustration not only tell a story, but be an emotional experience. The length isn’t bad, perhaps a bit long for very young bookworms, but JJ loved the vibrant colors. An inspiring story of a great artist, and the empowering lesson against letting others define your beauty or worth. Baby Bookworm approved!
Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!
August 6, 2018
I had never heard of Elsa Schiaparelli before, but I had heard of her color: shocking pink! I was amazed to read about her revolutionary fashion ideas that are listed in the back of the book. What a wonderful little picture biography to introduce young readers to the art of fashion, and to talk about perseverance to accomplish your dream.
February 23, 2018
This is a 8X10 picture book that tells the story of a fascinating and unique individual, Elsa Schiaparelli. It begins in early childhood where we learned that Elsa was a disappointment to her parents because they wanted a boy and she wasn’t as pretty as her sister. This compelled Elsa her to examine the concept of beauty.
Her experiences might have crush her spirit if it had not been for her uncle Giovanni. He was an astronomer and also a dreamer like Elsa. He encouraged her imagination and told her she was beautiful. Elsa took refuge in the world of make-believe. She yearned to become an artist.
As a single mother she realized, “To be an artist is to dream big and risk failure.“ In spite of the unlikelihood of success, she brought her dress design sketches to Paris. Fortunately, she fell in with the most creative and innovative people of her time, including Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso. Although she could neither sew nor knit, she was able to have her creations made by others and through hard work became an international sensation. She invented the colour shocking pink and her dress designs were like nothing seen before.
The last two pages of the book give more details of her life. It was wonderful to read that she offered high wages and benefits to her employees when she achieved success. Her personal motto was "Dare to be different."
This would be a wonderful book to read to a child who is labelled as different or not beautiful or too imaginative or a daydreamer. Like Einstein said, imagination is more important than knowledge. Without the Elsas of the world, our lives would be stagnant and dreary.
The pictures in this book have have a stylish quality that suits the topic without being ostentatious. The pictures of Elsa clearly show us her gentle, creative personality and her vulnerable introspection. This success story should encourage children to follow their dreams and never give up.
Highly recommended for children age 6 and up. Even adults will enjoy this wonderful book.
This book review will run on my blog on March 6 and be the first recipient of an FFF badge for Fostering Female Fulfillment.
Her experiences might have crush her spirit if it had not been for her uncle Giovanni. He was an astronomer and also a dreamer like Elsa. He encouraged her imagination and told her she was beautiful. Elsa took refuge in the world of make-believe. She yearned to become an artist.
As a single mother she realized, “To be an artist is to dream big and risk failure.“ In spite of the unlikelihood of success, she brought her dress design sketches to Paris. Fortunately, she fell in with the most creative and innovative people of her time, including Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso. Although she could neither sew nor knit, she was able to have her creations made by others and through hard work became an international sensation. She invented the colour shocking pink and her dress designs were like nothing seen before.
The last two pages of the book give more details of her life. It was wonderful to read that she offered high wages and benefits to her employees when she achieved success. Her personal motto was "Dare to be different."
This would be a wonderful book to read to a child who is labelled as different or not beautiful or too imaginative or a daydreamer. Like Einstein said, imagination is more important than knowledge. Without the Elsas of the world, our lives would be stagnant and dreary.
The pictures in this book have have a stylish quality that suits the topic without being ostentatious. The pictures of Elsa clearly show us her gentle, creative personality and her vulnerable introspection. This success story should encourage children to follow their dreams and never give up.
Highly recommended for children age 6 and up. Even adults will enjoy this wonderful book.
This book review will run on my blog on March 6 and be the first recipient of an FFF badge for Fostering Female Fulfillment.
June 6, 2018
An ugly duckling story within the fashion world. Kyo Maclear's Bloom is a story of fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. This biographical picture book is told in first person narrative, as Maclear shares the story of Ella Schiaparelli. The illustrations, by Julie Morstad are absolutely stunning, adding to the beauty of the words written upon the page.
The book begins with the birth of Ella, September 10,1890 in Roma, Italy. Her parents wanted a boy; leaving Ella to feel indifferent, alone, and unwanted. Her older sister, mama's favorite was bella and Ella was just brutta (ugly). Yet, at a very young age she sought out the beauty that surrounded her; color and joy.
At the age of seven she asked, "What makes something beautiful?" This question led to her life's mission to create beauty in the world and planted a seed of wild imagination. Ella's motto was, Dare to Be Different and that she was. Throughout the remainder of the story, Maclear shares how her uniqueness and imagination caused her to become one of the world's influential fashion designers and left the idea that she was brutta; seeing the beauty of the art reflected in her work.
I was delighted to read this book of Ella Schiaparelli and learn about her life before and after becoming a famous person of fashion and fame. This is a great read aloud to share with students to show them of a person who lived out their childhood dreams and dared to be different. An inspiration to let go of what others think of you and choose to BLOOM!
The book begins with the birth of Ella, September 10,1890 in Roma, Italy. Her parents wanted a boy; leaving Ella to feel indifferent, alone, and unwanted. Her older sister, mama's favorite was bella and Ella was just brutta (ugly). Yet, at a very young age she sought out the beauty that surrounded her; color and joy.
At the age of seven she asked, "What makes something beautiful?" This question led to her life's mission to create beauty in the world and planted a seed of wild imagination. Ella's motto was, Dare to Be Different and that she was. Throughout the remainder of the story, Maclear shares how her uniqueness and imagination caused her to become one of the world's influential fashion designers and left the idea that she was brutta; seeing the beauty of the art reflected in her work.
I was delighted to read this book of Ella Schiaparelli and learn about her life before and after becoming a famous person of fashion and fame. This is a great read aloud to share with students to show them of a person who lived out their childhood dreams and dared to be different. An inspiration to let go of what others think of you and choose to BLOOM!
April 27, 2018
The life of Elsa Schiaparelli, sad in the beginning and delightful as she matures, celebrates her creative spirit, is beautifully told in first person by Kyo Maclear, with Julie Morstad illustrating using some of Schiaparelli’s own extraordinary fashion firsts. The illustrations blend with Schiaparelli’s designs, fill pages with stunning images of flowers and other images. Be sure to see the pages where Elsa’s face shows up in the blooms. She is blooming!
Elsa, through Maclear’s words, shares part of her childhood, when parents were disappointed that they had another girl, didn’t even have a name, so hers was borrowed from the nurse. They called her older sister “bella” but her name was “brutta”. No matter, Elsa delighted in the flowers of her city, came home and tried to plant seeds in her nose and ears, thinking she would become beautiful with flowers covering her face. It was not a great idea to do this, but after help from a doctor, she continued using her wild imagination. She declares: "I am an explorer, a circus performer, and even the night sky. Dress up. Pretend. Make believe. The world feels brighter."
Elsa's words toward the end of the story show what she came to know: “Beauty itself blooms to reveal the irregular, the smart, tough, goofy, surreal, and wild.”
There is extra information in the backmatter with further sources. I enjoyed learning about this famous fashion icon.
Elsa, through Maclear’s words, shares part of her childhood, when parents were disappointed that they had another girl, didn’t even have a name, so hers was borrowed from the nurse. They called her older sister “bella” but her name was “brutta”. No matter, Elsa delighted in the flowers of her city, came home and tried to plant seeds in her nose and ears, thinking she would become beautiful with flowers covering her face. It was not a great idea to do this, but after help from a doctor, she continued using her wild imagination. She declares: "I am an explorer, a circus performer, and even the night sky. Dress up. Pretend. Make believe. The world feels brighter."
Elsa's words toward the end of the story show what she came to know: “Beauty itself blooms to reveal the irregular, the smart, tough, goofy, surreal, and wild.”
There is extra information in the backmatter with further sources. I enjoyed learning about this famous fashion icon.
May 19, 2018
Raised as an unwanted second daughter who was considered ugly due to the moles on her face, Elsa grew up attracted to the bright colors of the slower market in Rome. Her imagination soars as she dreams of the stars, tries to fly and finds ideas in books and objects in the attic. Elsa become an artist and soon is designing dresses for herself, her husband, friends and her daughter. After years of work, Elsa has joined a group of artists and starts to design modern clothes that take Paris by storm. Elsa finds her own style, freedom from the harshness of her parents’ criticism and brings everyone else along on her journey to bloom.
Maclear has created a picture book biography that shows how a harsh upbringing can be overcome with imagination and hard work. The author’s note at the end of the book offers more insight into Schiaparelli’s designs that could not be shared in the short format of a picture book. It is very impressive therefore how much they did manage to share in the book itself, the illustrations and text applauding Schiaparelli’s life and her accomplishments. The illustrations move from Schiaparelli as a little girl to her designs and the incredible pink that she made famous (that is also the color of the end papers.)
This is a bright and well-designed look at Schiaparelli’s life and her designs. Appropriate for ages 6-9.
Maclear has created a picture book biography that shows how a harsh upbringing can be overcome with imagination and hard work. The author’s note at the end of the book offers more insight into Schiaparelli’s designs that could not be shared in the short format of a picture book. It is very impressive therefore how much they did manage to share in the book itself, the illustrations and text applauding Schiaparelli’s life and her accomplishments. The illustrations move from Schiaparelli as a little girl to her designs and the incredible pink that she made famous (that is also the color of the end papers.)
This is a bright and well-designed look at Schiaparelli’s life and her designs. Appropriate for ages 6-9.
July 17, 2018
Are you the girl who designs clothes wherever she finds a blank paper? Are you the girl who wears the fanciest clothes every day? Are you the girl who makes suggestions to her friends about their clothes? Are you the trendsetter girl in the school? If your answer is yes, you found the book you are searching for. “Bloom” is about a famous fashion designer named Elsa Schiaparelli who was a disappointment for her family because she wasn’t a boy when she was born. As she grows up she loses herself in the beauty of the colors and shapes. She meets with well-known artists such as Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti and much more. They inspire her and she opens a boutique in Paris. Her boutique becomes the beating heart of Paris. She did it. Like lots of other powerful women. So, you can also do it. Even if people don’t believe you, believe in yourself.
Illustrations of the book are very pretty. Especially the “shocking pink” color Elsa Schiaparelli found is a perfection. It is bright, impossible, life-giving. Harmony of the colors in the book are magical. Even if it is not now, pink will become your favorite color.
As in the book, the author said “All of us, together: We bloom and bloom.”
Illustrations of the book are very pretty. Especially the “shocking pink” color Elsa Schiaparelli found is a perfection. It is bright, impossible, life-giving. Harmony of the colors in the book are magical. Even if it is not now, pink will become your favorite color.
As in the book, the author said “All of us, together: We bloom and bloom.”
March 24, 2018
This is a children's book, but also a great introduction to fashion as well as the life of fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. Simplified in order to be understood by younger readers, it's an entertaining story of how a young girl in the 1920's overcame her family's disappointment with her to become a creative and independent woman. It is also encouraging to see how Elsa pursued her dreams and became successful. The illustrations compliment the text, plus the addition of actual quotes by Picasso, Poiret, Dali, and Schiaparelli herself give the story an added dimension of the creative trend from that time. Now I want to read a biography or Schiaparelli's autobiography (books listed in Bloom) for more depth and emotion.
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