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The Yellow Tutu
You can never have tutu much fun!
40 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
August 1, 2010
When a little girl gets a yellow tu-tu for her birthday, she is so excited! She decides to wear it on her head so she can look like the sun--and she wears it to school thinking everyone will love to see her sunshine-y face. But, of course, the children laugh at her and make fun. All except one, who happens to have a pink tu-tu and an imagination of her own.
Parts of the story and illustrations were very cute. Then, some of the illustrations were just a bit too odd for my taste, the children looked a bit too wild about the eyes or something, I don't know. And overall the story just felt a bit too didactic. One thing I really did like is the fact that the mean kids didn't have some miraculous about face--the little girl finds one "kindred spirit" and they become friends. I think that is so much more realistic than the books that suddenly show all the bullies receiving a comeuppance or change of heart.
Parts of the story and illustrations were very cute. Then, some of the illustrations were just a bit too odd for my taste, the children looked a bit too wild about the eyes or something, I don't know. And overall the story just felt a bit too didactic. One thing I really did like is the fact that the mean kids didn't have some miraculous about face--the little girl finds one "kindred spirit" and they become friends. I think that is so much more realistic than the books that suddenly show all the bullies receiving a comeuppance or change of heart.
May 24, 2011
This is the BEST children's book I have read in a long time. I loved the story, the humor, the message, and the pictures. Kirsten and Carin Bramsen did a terrific job on this book! My daughter LOVED it too. She just got a pink tutu for her birthday and could relate to Margo. She even told the story to her brother when we picked him up from school. He laughed at his little sister's version as they looked at the beautiful pictures together.
February 8, 2021
Absolutely precious! The writing and illustrations are both fabulous. You can't go wrong with this for storytime... it has some important lessons about friendship, bullying, and imagination.
June 25, 2020
Storytime
Theme: Yellow
Ages: Virtual/All Ages (but seems to be aimed towards young elementary)
Margo gets a Yellow tutu for her birthday. It makes her very happy. She even decides to wear it to school (on her head). Other kids say it's stupid and make fun of her, until another classmate stands up for her.
It's good for the message about being yourself and standing up for friends. I didn't like the word stupid being used ("You look stupid with that thing on your head!" one boy said.) but, but's accurate to how kids talk. I changed it to Silly when reading it, just in case of grouchy parents.
It was very imaginative with all of the things they thought she could look like with her tutu on her head (the sun, different flowers, a lion) and I appreciate that too.
The illustrations didn't come across too well on camera because they are watercolor-like (very soft) but I love them anyways.
Theme: Yellow
Ages: Virtual/All Ages (but seems to be aimed towards young elementary)
Margo gets a Yellow tutu for her birthday. It makes her very happy. She even decides to wear it to school (on her head). Other kids say it's stupid and make fun of her, until another classmate stands up for her.
It's good for the message about being yourself and standing up for friends. I didn't like the word stupid being used ("You look stupid with that thing on your head!" one boy said.) but, but's accurate to how kids talk. I changed it to Silly when reading it, just in case of grouchy parents.
It was very imaginative with all of the things they thought she could look like with her tutu on her head (the sun, different flowers, a lion) and I appreciate that too.
The illustrations didn't come across too well on camera because they are watercolor-like (very soft) but I love them anyways.
September 1, 2023
I love how this book show that though some people may tease us or make fun of us or even be mean to us, there will be people who will have similar likes that we have and will become our friends. This book also teaches us to stick up for other people. I especially love how, when people are being mean to her, Margo thinks to herself "What was the matter with everyone?" instead of "What is wrong with me?"
And the illustrations are so bright and happy. Great job Carin Bramsen!
With so much unkindness in the world, books like this are sorely needed. We hope that the Bramsen team will write many more!
And the illustrations are so bright and happy. Great job Carin Bramsen!
With so much unkindness in the world, books like this are sorely needed. We hope that the Bramsen team will write many more!
February 11, 2018
Cute story with sweet illustrations. Emotional but with a happy ending.
May 5, 2018
Sophie really enjoyed the colours!
March 1, 2022
Cute, a bit message-driven.
October 2, 2022
Being yourself & power of friendship.
December 19, 2016
In The Yellow Tutu, written by Kirsten Bramsen, and illustrated by Carin Bramsen, Margo, a little girl with wide, bright eyes, and untamed springy curls a la Shirley Temple, receives a brand-new bright yellow tutu for her birthday. After trying it on and dancing around a bit, she decides that wearing the tutu on her head will make her look just like the sun. When she wears it to school, however, her friends make fun of her and encourage her to wear her tutu like a normal person. Margo is totally dejected until Pearl, another non-conformist, shows her that it's okay to be different, and puts her own pink tutu on her head as well.
This book is beautifully illustrated. The light-filled pages and soft, muted colors of everything from Margo's blue pajamas covered in clouds to her shiny red shoes create a whimsical, cheery mood. The texture of the yellow tutu is so realistically rendered that I felt like I could reach into the book and feel the tulle between my fingers. The story, however, was really too silly for me, and when I arrived at the illustration of squirrels lounging on the sidewalk drinking lemonade, it lost me altogether. That seemed too far-fetched for an otherwise reality-based story. I also questioned whether Margo should have been so surprised by her friends' reactions to her tutu. It seemed like she had no self-awareness at all and that didn't seem plausible.
In any case, silly or not, this book delivers an important message: that differences are not just to be tolerated, but celebrated, and that sometimes having just one like-minded friend can be enough to turn around an otherwise unpleasant situation. Preschoolers who are interested in ballerinas will find not just a fancy dancing outfit in this book, but an important life lesson as well.
This book is beautifully illustrated. The light-filled pages and soft, muted colors of everything from Margo's blue pajamas covered in clouds to her shiny red shoes create a whimsical, cheery mood. The texture of the yellow tutu is so realistically rendered that I felt like I could reach into the book and feel the tulle between my fingers. The story, however, was really too silly for me, and when I arrived at the illustration of squirrels lounging on the sidewalk drinking lemonade, it lost me altogether. That seemed too far-fetched for an otherwise reality-based story. I also questioned whether Margo should have been so surprised by her friends' reactions to her tutu. It seemed like she had no self-awareness at all and that didn't seem plausible.
In any case, silly or not, this book delivers an important message: that differences are not just to be tolerated, but celebrated, and that sometimes having just one like-minded friend can be enough to turn around an otherwise unpleasant situation. Preschoolers who are interested in ballerinas will find not just a fancy dancing outfit in this book, but an important life lesson as well.
June 24, 2015
“The Yellow Tutu” is story about a young girl (Margo) who, for her birthday, receives a yellow tutu. She proceeds to put her yellow tutu on her head as she dreams of all the different activities she can participate in now that she has a tutu. For example, she imagines herself as a flower, a lion, and even the Sun itself. Margo goes off to school wearing her tutu as a hat, some of the children bully her because she looks funny. Just in the nick-of-time one of her school-mates (Pearl) comes to her rescue and tells the other children to stop. Pearl then invites Margo to her home for a tea party after school and the two become quick friends. This is a perfect book for young girls, I can imagine how my nieces would feel if they got a tutu for their birthday. The pictures are painted, but very soft, they look very dream like possibly indicating how Margo’s dream of having a tutu has come true. At some points in the book the text is followed by ellipsis which creates great suspense for the reader. For example, when Margo wakes up on the morning of her birthday and rips open the present at the foot of her bed she exclaims, “It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, it was her dream. It was. . .” (this leaves the reader wondering what is coming next) of course the reader finds out that the gift is a yellow tutu. I would use this book to encourage children to be kind to one another and to tell them that just because someone else does something a little different does not make them wrong. They should be a friend to everyone they see.
September 19, 2011
This story ends with a tea party. Perfect!
And for your story time finale` sing
If You’re Happy and You Know It (we sang this because it is fun and silly. It served as a time filler. There are several books based on this song so this could also serve as story #4).
If you're happy and you know it, Clap your hands
If you're happy and you know it, Clap your hands
If you're happy and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it, Clap your hands.
If you're happy and you know it, Stomp your feet
If you're happy and you know it, Stomp your feet
If you're happy and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it, Stomp your feet.
If you're happy and you know it, Shout "Hurray!"
If you're happy and you know it, Shout "Hurray!"
If you're happy and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it, Shout "Hurray!"
If you're happy and you know it, Do all three
If you're happy and you know it, Do all three
If you're happy and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it, Do all three.
And for your story time finale` sing
If You’re Happy and You Know It (we sang this because it is fun and silly. It served as a time filler. There are several books based on this song so this could also serve as story #4).
If you're happy and you know it, Clap your hands
If you're happy and you know it, Clap your hands
If you're happy and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it, Clap your hands.
If you're happy and you know it, Stomp your feet
If you're happy and you know it, Stomp your feet
If you're happy and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it, Stomp your feet.
If you're happy and you know it, Shout "Hurray!"
If you're happy and you know it, Shout "Hurray!"
If you're happy and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it, Shout "Hurray!"
If you're happy and you know it, Do all three
If you're happy and you know it, Do all three
If you're happy and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it, Do all three.
Read
April 28, 2015Kelly Wiegand
April 27, 2015
EDL54500 Library Materials for Children and Youth
Title: The Yellow Tutu
Author: Kristen Bramsen
Plot: When Margo receives a beautiful yellow tutu for her birthday she places it on her head and she sees herself transform into the bright, yellow sun. Excited to get to school and show her friends, she rushes off only to get there and be laughed at for wearing a tutu on her head instead of her waist like she is "suppose" to. She is feeling defeated until she finds a friend, Pearl, who appreciates Margo's unique outlook and decides to join her.
Setting: School
Characters: Margo; Pearl
Point-of-View: The story is told in third-person.
Themes: Conformity; Friendship; Individuality; Perspective; Kindness; Acceptance
Style: There is no particular style to this picture book.
Copyright: 2013
Reflection: This is one of my new favorites! It is the sweetest story about seeing things differently than others and finding acceptance in that. The illustrations are wonderful as well!
April 27, 2015
EDL54500 Library Materials for Children and Youth
Title: The Yellow Tutu
Author: Kristen Bramsen
Plot: When Margo receives a beautiful yellow tutu for her birthday she places it on her head and she sees herself transform into the bright, yellow sun. Excited to get to school and show her friends, she rushes off only to get there and be laughed at for wearing a tutu on her head instead of her waist like she is "suppose" to. She is feeling defeated until she finds a friend, Pearl, who appreciates Margo's unique outlook and decides to join her.
Setting: School
Characters: Margo; Pearl
Point-of-View: The story is told in third-person.
Themes: Conformity; Friendship; Individuality; Perspective; Kindness; Acceptance
Style: There is no particular style to this picture book.
Copyright: 2013
Reflection: This is one of my new favorites! It is the sweetest story about seeing things differently than others and finding acceptance in that. The illustrations are wonderful as well!
February 13, 2017
This book has a great message for little girls: wear what makes you happy, be confident, and you will find the friends that fit you best. It is also beautifully illustrated.
May 11, 2010
Children can be very creative in their choice of attire, and what pleases them they assume will delight others. But children, like adults, can also be judgmental and terribly conformist. In this wonderful book a little girl is ecstatic over the yellow tutu she received as a gift and quite entertained by a whim to wear it on her head, thus transforming her into a flower, a lion, the sun. When her friends mock rather than share in her excitement, she is crushed and confused. Fortunately she finds a like minded peer who is able to appreciate the power of imagination, bringing about the birth of a beautiful friendship. The message in this book is a valuable one. It is a collaboration by sisters, one who wrote the story and the other who provides extraodinary illustrations. One particularly poignant page features a picture of the teary eyed girl so skillfully rendered that it could grace the wall of the finest museum.
May 18, 2011
Things I like: Margo feels like a specific, real kid (her guesses for what's in her birthday box include a rock polisher and ant farm in addition to the more cliched doll and fairy with sparkly wings) and the thought process that takes her from wearing the tutu around her waist to wearing it on her head rings true. I like the fresh perspectives in the illustrations--from down low among the flowers to up above the girls' tea party.
The illustrations are well crafted, but the super big smiles and extra shiny eyes feel a little creepy to me, and Margo's personality seems so real that the fanciful elements in the pictures (sunbathing squirrels and smiling bees) don't seem to fit the tone. Though I guess they are meant to be representations of Margo's fantastic imagination? I also feel like Margo is a little old to waltz off to school thinking that everyone else is going to appreciate the tutu on her head, though there are kids that march to their own drummers at every age.
The illustrations are well crafted, but the super big smiles and extra shiny eyes feel a little creepy to me, and Margo's personality seems so real that the fanciful elements in the pictures (sunbathing squirrels and smiling bees) don't seem to fit the tone. Though I guess they are meant to be representations of Margo's fantastic imagination? I also feel like Margo is a little old to waltz off to school thinking that everyone else is going to appreciate the tutu on her head, though there are kids that march to their own drummers at every age.
January 14, 2013
Beautiful beautiful beautiful book and illustrations; I read this to Madam yesterday and I hope she can carry some of this lesson away with her so that she will be able to stand strong when the day comes. I cannot protect my baby always, but I can hopefully teach her and build her up so when that day comes she will not let that crowd tear her down. (Oh that illustration of Margo with the tears in her eyes--"She knew she looked great, exciting, happy, bright, and beautiful in her new tutu!"--just tore my heart.)
And the power of having even just one true friend, the main character has one friend who backs her up against the mean crowd and they go off and stay true to themselves...powerful powerful message every child needs.
And the power of having even just one true friend, the main character has one friend who backs her up against the mean crowd and they go off and stay true to themselves...powerful powerful message every child needs.
June 22, 2011
Margo absolutely loves her new, yellow, birthday tutu. It's bright and bold and beautiful, and Margo feels like sunshine when she wears it--especially when when she wears it on her head! The kids at school don't think she looks like the sun, though; they think she looks stupid with it on her head, and Margo is crushed. Thank goodness for her friend Pearl, who thinks Margo looks just like a sunflower. Share this colorful and fun book with your little dancers to remind them that creativity and friendship are things to celebrate.
January 2, 2011
If I was rating just the illustrations, this would still be a 5! I love the beautiful, gleeful, tearful, spontaneous expressions painted by Carin Bramsen. (Google her online portfolio for a sample.) The story is wonderful, too. A little girl, Margo, knows she is a beautiful sunshine with her new yellow tutu on her head. But when her friends are not kind about it, she has to sort through her feelings and decide how to respond.
Again, you won't want to miss these illustrations, and your little girls won't either.
Again, you won't want to miss these illustrations, and your little girls won't either.
October 23, 2009
Uhh... where to start.
The writer has an unrealistic view of children.
The artist has an amazing gift for detail and still life, but makes faces look incredibly creepy.
Cute, but again, unrealistic. This book sets children up as confident, and impervious to the taunting of other children. I recommend the writer read "Odd Girl Out." And then Knuffle Bunny, because it's just not fun when someone else has the same toy.
The writer has an unrealistic view of children.
The artist has an amazing gift for detail and still life, but makes faces look incredibly creepy.
Cute, but again, unrealistic. This book sets children up as confident, and impervious to the taunting of other children. I recommend the writer read "Odd Girl Out." And then Knuffle Bunny, because it's just not fun when someone else has the same toy.
August 26, 2012
39 months - LOVE this book! This is so O! She was on a huge tutu kick for 9 months. She wore one everyday. Needless to say this book was a hit. It always makes me sad when I read the page where the little girl gets teased by kids at school. Why do kids have to be so mean when you're creative and different? Thankfully another little girl comes to her rescue and soon all is better than good. Such a great story with lovely illustrations, the girls emotions are depicted perfectly.
May 6, 2014
I was reminded of how much I like this book at a presentation for story time that we did at Clearview Library. I chose this because who can resist wearing a yellow tutu on your head as you read the story? Margo, is a whimsical little girl who decides to use her imagination after wearing the tutu and must overcome the teasing and meanness of her friends. It is silly but enchanting and kids love seeing me with a yellow tutu on my head. Actually, so do I.
December 5, 2009
A delightfully illustrated, uplifting book that addresses independence, friendship, creativity, and criticism. The story displays a wide range of emotion and can easily be related to by children as well as adults because it addresses issues common to all of us. In the end, the main character prevails and one concept resonates clearly... All a person needs is one good friend.
November 25, 2009
Story about being an individual and standing up for what you think...good for young girls who so often change their opinions to please others. Girl gets a yellow tutu and uses her imagination...when she gets to school she is ridiculed but doesn't waver. Enjoyable with lovely illustrations.
April 15, 2010
A beautiful picture book about a girl who gets a yellow tutu for her birthday. She puts it on her head and pretends to be the sun. Others kid her, but her friend likes it and wears her pink tutu on her head so they can be roses.
May 26, 2010
What an adorable concept! I love the spunk and imagination of Margo. There are some beautiful pages. The story is not the best but the concept is wonderful and the illustrations are unique and well done.
September 10, 2010
Showed that being an individual is a good thing, but sometimes hard when others don't agree with what you are doing. I thought it was a good book to read before my daughter started school so we could talk about the topic.
April 19, 2011
I loved the illustrations in this story. They are bright and cheerful. This is a cute story about a little girl with a big imagination. Fun for younger students and good to have in any primary classroom.
September 20, 2013
I read this for story time at my library. The kids really liked it and so did the adults. I will be reading this one again for summer reading program and other story times. :) The only thing that is bad is that one of the kids calls another kid "stupid" in the book. I just said "silly" instead.
May 5, 2015
As someone who asked her mother for a tutu when I was in my 20's and has been known to wear one on my head, I could totally relate to Margo's joy over receiving a bright yellow tutu as a gift. Independent girls will appreciate this sweet story's message.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews