Cindy R. Simmons, Mississippi Department of Education

The story of “dress up” has never been more personal or more touching.

A memory, a sentimental moment, a tug at the heart strings–these special thoughts and then so much more are your gifts when you open the pages of My Mama’s Closet, written by Alice Rhea Mitchell and illustrated by Sheryl K. Perry. Whether a grandmother or a three year old, whether the reader or the listener, whether you have been the girl in the story or you wish you were the girl in the story, you will delight in the language of a magical experience and the beauty of the illustrations that are as captivating as that language. The story of “dress up” has never been more personal or more touching. And little girls everywhere, no matter who they are or where they live, can find themselves becoming the “sister” of the little girl in the story–going to their mothers’ closets and putting on their mothers’ things–the too big dress or the too heavy shoes or the too many necklaces or the too worn out sweater. This story poem reveals the universal “specialness” of a little girl’s dream of being a grownup–just like her mother.

Cindy R. Simmons
Former Director of Student Assessment, Mississippi Department of Education
Teacher for over 20 years, mother and grandmother