The Lime Green Secret.

Liz Dennett is a public service librarian in the Science and Technology
Library at the University of Alberta.

Gloria is thrilled that she is chosen to be the bridesmaid in her sister’s wedding and even happier when she sees the outfit that she gets to wear: a beautiful satin dress, long fancy gloves, shiny white shoes, and a sparkling tiara. Even though her mother warns her not to touch them, Gloria can’t stop thinking about them—she even sleeps with the shoes! Finally, Gloria just can’t help trying it all on and showing off to her friends. When disaster strikes in the form of a lime green soda pop spilled down the front of the dress, the stain looms “over Gloria like a hideous green monster.”

This book vividly portrays Georgia’s feelings of intense anticipation about the wedding and then intense dread once the dress is ruined. Little girls are likely to enjoy the drama of the situation and the story’s humorous resolution, particularly if they have been or will be involved in a wedding themselves. The fun and colourful chalk-pastel drawings bring to life the story’s 1960s setting (complete with beehive hairstyles and cat’s eye eyeglasses). Recommended.