The Flower Girl Wore Celery

Gordon, Meryl G.

ISBN 10: 1467778443 ISBN 13: 9781467778442

Publisher: Kar-Ben Publishing ®, 2016

Synopsis

Emma can't wait for her cousin Hannah's wedding. She's going to be the flower girl. That means she'll wear a celery dress and walk down the aisle with the ring bear, leading the way for the happy bride and groom. Or at least, that's what Emma assumes. But nothing turns out to be quite what she's expecting, as Hannah's new spouse turns out to be another bride!

About this title

About the Author:

Holly Clifton-Brown was born in London and attended Chelsea School of Art, Media, and Design and Bristol UWE Faculty of Art, Media and Design, where she attained a B.A. in Illustration. Her work has been exhibited at The London Transport Museum. She is the author and illustrator of Annie Hoot and the Knitting Extravaganza and has illustrated other picture books including Big Bouffant and Big Birthday.

Review:

"Emma’s older cousin Hannah is getting married, and she wants Emma to be the flower girl and wear a celery (colored) dress. Emma also learns that she is going to walk down the aisle with someone named Jacob who is the ring bear[er]. In the spirit of Amelia Bedelia, Emma imagines these things literally, and is surprised to find out that she’s not going to dress up like a flower, or wear a frock made out of celery, or walk down the aisle with a bear. But the biggest surprise is when she meets Hannah’s intended, a woman named Alex. The fact that there are two brides is unexpected, yet the beauty of this book is how quickly that knowledge normalizes into tradition. The wedding takes place in a synagogue under a chuppah, where the female rabbi reads the ketubah and says the seven wedding blessings. Hannah and Alex both stomp on wine glasses at the end of the ceremony and are carried around the dance floor on chairs. By framing same sex marriage as just another assumption to be disabused, the whole book maintains a light and celebratory tone as befits a book about families gathering to celebrate a simcha. Watercolor and pencil illustrations add just the right note of humor and joy."--Jewish Book Council

(Website)

About this edition

• Publisher: Kar-Ben Publishing ®
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1467778443
• ISBN 13: 9781467778442
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Clifton-Brown Holly