Mary wears what she wants is a colorful and fun perspective on early feminism. Keith Negley tells a story of a young girl who dares to be different. She wears pants instead of uncomfortable and restricting dresses. Everyone tells her she will regret it and that it is not correct, but she insists on the validity of her statement. I felt that the story was witty, sassy, quirky, and fun. It teaches kids to be unapologetically themselves despite expectations of others. ( )

Mary Wears What She Wants tells the story of Mary's challenging of traditional gender norms as a young girl. One day, Mary decides that she no longer wants to wear dresses. Dresses are uncomfortable; they're heavy and hot, they're tight and constricting, and Mary is fed up with it. Mary comes up with the "daring idea" of wearing pants. She falls in love with the freedom pants provide and decides to show the whole town. However, she's soon met with criticism by everyone in town. She's shamed and ridiculed and she contemplates whether everyone else is right. Mary realizes it doesn't matter what others think and that belief causes things to never be the same.

The illustrations in this book were adorable! Negley includes a picture of a "boy's" outfit and a "girl's" outfit on the inside cover. In the end, that same picture is included, this time with the words "boy's" and "girl's" scratched out to illustrate how boys and girls should be allowed to wear whatever they'd like. I loved that Mary is true to herself and doesn't let other people's criticism change her mind. She's brave and she shows other girls that it's okay to be different and there's no one "right" way to dress. ( )

A long time ago men only wore pants and women only wore dresses and no one ever questioned it, except for a little girl named Mary. Mary hated the dresses and didn’t understand why she could not wear pants. One day she decides to do what she wants and puts on a pair of pants, she is met with anger and frustration, but that only makes her fight harder and grow stronger. This book shows that if you want change, you have to be the one to raise up your voice. I feel the message of the story can ring true for children even still today. The book mentions how there are no “boys” clothes and “girls’ clothes they are simply just clothes. This stereotype is still alive today and some kids are still raised thinking there are “boys” jobs and ”girls” jobs and “boys” toys and “girls” toys when they are simply just jobs and toys. In a classroom you never know who may be struggling internally with this message and this opens the floor for discussion and also shows acceptance. ( )

This one is a perfect 10/10 from me. Every page was absolutely brilliant. I LOVED the illustrations SO much. And, even more than that, that this story is about a real girl names Mary! I love how she approaches gender "norms" and just wants to be HERSELF. Pants are so cool and I would be so sad if I could only wear dresses ALL of the time. Mary is so brave and I think she really taught everyone around her a thing or two. ( )

As soon as you open the book, before you see the title or anything, you see on one side “boys clothes” and on the other side “girls clothes.” I think this was a beautiful way to start the book. It set it up right there, that this is the standard at this time. Then the story sets up the rest. Mary immediately decides she wants to wear pants because, why not? Pants are more comfortable and she can actually walk faster. Pants cause her lots of problems in town though. People are angry they think girls should only wear dresses and boys should just wear pants. By the end of the story to Mary’s surprise she finds that all her classmates have decided to wear whatever they want to and stand by her side. Then on the very last page you see on one side the same picture but this time it just says “clothes” and the other side says “clothes.” The imagery and pictures were essential to the message of this story. I often don't notice illustrations and the intricacies of them but this book they really stuck out to me. I really liked how Mary always stood tall with her chest out and confident. I think this is a great book to show children that they can set the standard. ( )