A young girl needs a dress for a very special occasion; her mom takes her to a dressmaker to have one specially made, and together, Pepper and the dressmaker search through patterns until they find the perfect one for Pepper's dress.

This fun story about the search for a perfect fabric pattern also provides some background on patterns both popular and exotic; from Houndstooth to Ikat, Seersucker to Argyle, Pepper relates each pattern's history to her own life: Seersucker, for instances, comes from the Persian words for milk and sugar, to describe the bumpy textures; Pepper prefers her tea strong, without milk or sugar, so she passes. When she finally finds her perfect pattern, the dressmaker allows her to help out, and we get a glimpse at the pattern-making process; pieces pinned onto fabric to be cut out and sewn together. Pepper's dress is done, and we learn the special occasion: tea with her grandmother, who is wearing a dress made from her own perfect pattern.

The oil and graphite art, rendered on board, gives a textured feel to the story. Subdued colors make this a relaxing read, and visuals related to each pattern's history - a bagpiper for Tartan, a hound and his Houndstooth-wearing master, a photograph of Pepper's grandmother in her Dotted Swiss wedding dress - are superimposed over each fabric, provide further meaning and connection to each pattern's history.

This is a sweet, beautifully rendered book about fashion and history, and a loving multigenerational tale, woven through the main story. Extend a storytime by adding a textile component; bring in different fabrics to have kids look at, touch, and identify, like cotton t-shirts, fake fur, wool, and denim; if you have any patterned fabric, bring them in to let the kids get an up-close look at them, too, and ask them what patterns are familiar to them.

I loved this story of a little girl in search of just the perfect dress for a day with her grandma. I don't know how many children have ever had clothes tailored for them, but I guess it would be useful to learn there is such a thing, while learning about so many fabrics, too! Illustrations were delightful!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very sweet book. Pepper and her mother go to the tailor's (Mr. Taylor) in order to design a special dress for a special occasion. While she is there Mr. Taylor teaches Pepper what each different pattern of fabric is and where it came from.

Tartan from the Highlands? "No."

Herringbone, inspired by the fish? "No."

Eventually the find Pepper's perfect pattern, which I'll leave for you to find out!

An informational and fun story, readers will enjoy not only looking at the beautiful illustrations, but also learning the history behind patterns that we see daily!

I love the art and the patterns in this book, but the story falls kind of flat for me.

A Pattern for Pepper

By Julie Kraulis; published by Penguin Random House Canada

I love discovering charming new books and this is really one of the loveliest I’ve seen in some time. The book tells a story about a young girl who is having a special dress made. She discovers all about the world of fabric and patterns and while showcasing some truly beautiful illustrations this book teaches children an extensive vocabulary about pattern and design. My two-year-old will soon know the difference between houndstooth and toile thanks to Pepper.

What a lovely and engaging book. It was a bit wordy at the beginning, but is perfect for a child interested on sewing or fabric. It would be a lovely addition to a handiwork or sewing class. It could also tie into learning about different countries and cultures. The illustrations were beautiful and muted.

I received this lovely picture book for review from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

The illustrations in this book are wonderful. The colors are muted and serene and I appreciated that aesthetic.

The story is lovely. It is about a young girl getting fitted by a tailor for a custom dress for an event she has coming up. She can't decide on a pattern so the tailor shows her many varieties from herringbone to ikat and walks her through the history of the pattern including its country of origin as well as what the pattern is designed to look like.

The story has a slight rhyming rhythm which was nice and I do feel like children will enjoy this story. Due to the historical elements and subject I think it might be suited for 8 and up.

The first thing that drew me to this book was the cover. How can anyone pass up a little girl sitting on fabric. The story is a simple one any little girl would enjoy reading , pepper needs a dress for a special occasion so her mother takes her to tailor to have one made special just for her. The tailor teaches her a short history lesson on each pattern on fabric such as ikat, paisley, houndstooth, swiss dot, and so many more. After learning the different patterns they find the one that is just right for her.

My favorite part of the book is the history of the patterns, I am new to the sewing world so this was fun for me to learn so I can I can introduce my daughter’s to the joys of sewing as well. My daughter’s favorite part was hearing about all the different parts of the world that the patterns come from. I pulled up each country on Google so we could read some info on each country. My girl’s LOVED learning not only about the patterns and where they came from, but loved it when I showed them what the country’s look like and their rich histories. This book is NOT a non-fiction book, but the patterns in sewing are real and where they come from.

This fun, whimsically illustrated story is an education in patterns as Pepper searches for the perfect fabric for her custom-made dress. I loved everything about this book, and Pepper is a delightful girl who knows exactly what she wants.

This is a DARLING book! This book is a sweet, gentle introduction to many different types of woven patterns. I’ve been sewing since I was a child, and I have loved learning about the different types and histories of fabrics and patterns through the ages. It was so sweet that Mr. Taylor listened carefully to Pepper and then suggested a pattern for her that she met her expectations. I loved that they worked together to design the dress of her dreams. It was precious that Pepper then could share her new knowledge of fabrics and patterns with someone else, but not in a pretentious way. Rather, Pepper used her new vocabulary to compliment another person, which clearly pleases the recipient.

The book is printed in blues and browns, which initially would sound bland. But the colors and hues are used to richly develop the different patterns. Plenty of white space on each page keeps the various textured drawings from becoming overwhelming visually. One could build a world geography lesson around the book as different countries are mentioned. Of course, the book would require a field trip to the nearest fabric store to explore the various texture, weight, drape, and hand of the fabrics mentioned in the book as well as many more available.

If you have a beginning sewist or budding fashionista, this book would be a delightful gift.

I gratefully received an eARC from the author, publisher, and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

I loved this charming little gem of a book. It felt incredibly quaint and old-fashioned, but with modern, really beautifully done illustrations (they reminded me of a little of claymation figures). I enjoyed reading and learning about different textiles, and I liked that the book takes the reader through the whole sewing process, starting with cutting and pinning patterns.

Pepper needs a new dress, a very special dress so her mother takes her to the tailor named Mr. Taylor. Children immediately can't connect this with their own experience because it is doubtful that they have ever met a tailor. Mr. Taylor shows Pepper many fabric choices and describes each pattern in detail. Many of the pattern types are unfamiliar to an adult and certainly to a child. Illustrations are very good but the story does not capture the attention of the target audience.

I thought this was a very well done children's book. I liked the artwork for the cover and throughout. A great way for children and adults to learn about fabric patterns and their history. My daughters enjoyed it.

As a daughter of a woman who was a garment maker, I adore this book! The history of the fabric included in the text offers so many possibilities for classroom practice, too.

I loved the graphics in this book. They are phenomenal. The writing however was too verbose. My 3 girls (3, 5 and 7.5) were not at all interested in listening to this book after it started mentioning all the specific patterns and describing them in so much detail. It was too much information. They story kind of dragged on. We enjoyed the pictures very much. Disappointed the story didn't match the quality of the pictures. I would not recommend this book for children.

This was a beautiful children's book. Gave a few details about types of fabrics that I found quite interesting. The beautiful illustrations went perfectly with the fun story. I loved reading how Pepper picked her perfect fabric and saw how the tailor created her a perfect dress.

Pepper has a very special occasion coming up and needs a new dress, but it has to be a special dress. Her mother takes her to Mr. Taylor’s shop to have one tailor made just for her. Mr. Taylor talks her through the process, first measuring her, and then shows her the fabrics for her to choose. He shows her each pattern and tells her the history of that pattern, or the history of the name behind it.

To the herringbone pattern, Pepper says: No thank you.

To the seersucker pattern, Pepper says: No thank you.

Mr. Taylor walks her through several fabrics, a tartan, houndstooth, and argyle. Pinstripe. Ikat. Pepper says: No thank you to each of them. He even shows her the fabric he made her grandmother’s wedding dress, dotted swiss, then toile, and just when Pepper is starting to despair that they’ll never find her perfect fabric, he pulls down a pattern that is pretty and strong, not too this, not too that. And as he pulls down this fabric, Pepper says: That’s the one!

For me, this was a nice walk down memory lane, I used to own a small fabric shop, and teach sewing, embroidery, smocking, etc. When my daughter was born, other than the clothes we received as baby gifts, she didn’t wear anything store-bought (except shoes, underwear, socks) until she was around ten years-old, not because I wouldn’t have bought them for her, but she liked being able to help pick out the fabrics, the designs. She liked having clothes that not everyone else had. My favourite “episode” of her taking this for granted was when I was dropping her off at school for Kindergarten when she said, in that, oh, by the way five year olds have, that she needed a new dress for the Christmas pageant that night and she would like a red velvet dress with a white ruffle-y slip. Please. And so it was done.

This charming children’s book is beautifully illustrated, with lovely colourful pictures alongside the story, including Pepper at her very special occasion in her very special dress.


Pub Date: 01 Aug 2017


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Penguin Random House Canada / Tundra Books

This was a very cute story, and unexpectedly informative. Pepper is taught about a variety of patterns and textiles, which would be handy knowledge for anyone. The illustrations are cute and pleasing to look at, with each pattern mentioned in the book being incorporated in some way. As far as children's books go I did not find this to be very impressive (I've read some that are), but it would be a nice book to sit down and read with a child.

Pepper is in need of a new dress for a special occasion. She and her mom make a special trip to their families favorite tailor, Mr. Taylor (of course) in a cute, old town. Mr. Taylor introduces Pepper to fabrics with different patterns and Pepper is determined to find the right pattern for her special occasion. Once Pepper has found the perfect pattern, Mr. Taylor makes her a special dress, where she then wears to a special day with her and her grandmother. At first I was curious how patterns and such would be an interesting read, however Kraulis has done a superb job. I loved learning about the different patterns and where they had originated from. Pepper's cute responses back as to why she does not want the pattern for her dress was adorable and I also feel they were relatable to how a child may respond. The illustrations are very sweet and eye catching, giving vibrancy to all the different patterns. This was a wonderful eye opener to how our clothes are made, but also how they may have originated. Wonderful read.