“This is a charming and beautiful book, well-written and wonderfully illustrated, that embodies several essential values about how clothes are made, the textile industry, and our ability to create clothing from existing materials. But above all, it is a wonderful story about growing up, learning, and two unforgettable sisters. Since I have the privilege of knowing Assaf and Mical Rezoni, I received the illustrated manuscript before its publication, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I even shared it with my 11-year-old daughter to better explain why we oppose buying fast and cheap fashion, and how creative one can be with the abundance of fashion and clothing already around us. She loved the book no less than I did, and since then, she hasn’t once mentioned wanting to order clothes from “Shein”… Highly recommended.” Raanan Shaked
“This is a wonderfully illustrated children’s book about two young kids and their adventures in making clothes “from scratch” for their dolls. The story shows the journey of creating clothing starting with silkworm eggs and cotton seeds all the way to finished clothes for their dolls. It’s a great reminder of all that’s involved in creating simple clothes and how much goes into this process. A sustainability message is artfully delivered in an enjoyable story. The book was very motivational and had me thinking about other projects kids could do to help them understand where things come from that most of us take for granted.” Eric Kurnie
TITLE INFORMATION
MIRI AND JADE’S NEW CLOTHES
Mical Rezoni and Assaf Rezoni Archway Publishing (24 pp.)
Ten-year-old sisters learn how to make clothes for their dolls in Mical and Assaf Rezoni’s illustrated children’s book.
On their tenth birthday, twins Maya and Rumi receive a pair of dolls respectively named Jade and Miri as a gift from a family friend. The two girls feel that Miri and Jade’s clothes are too old-fashioned, so they set out to make their own
one-of-a-kind homemade outfits from scratch. Inspired by a class project from several years ago, Maya and Rumi acquire black silkworm eggs from the Albuquerque Zoo and feed them leaves from a mulberry tree in their front yard. Rumi is shocked to learn that harvesting silk may require boiling the worms alive in their cocoons, so the twins instead research a more humane method…that disappointingly doesn’t result in very much silk. The girls then turn to cotton, which they plant in their backyard, but it grows much too slowly. “We might turn eleven before the cotton plants [mature] into cotton fiber,” Rumi moans. However, the girls persevere, and together they are able to process enough yarn to make a sweater and a scarf for Miri. They spot their father leaving the house with a box of used clothing, which they reuse to make Miri and Jade items to go with their existing homespun pieces. The Rezonis carefully detail each step of Maya and Rumi’s operation in a thoughtful, educational manner that highlights just how hard it truly is to make cloth. While their color illustrations of the children and dolls can seem unpleasantly uncanny, the portrayal of the steps of boiling silk and a diagram detailing the stages of cotton-growing appear to be well researched. This short debut book successfully conveys a message about the importance of being environmentally conscious and reusing fabric during clothing production; the story addresses a gap in children’s narrative nonfiction in a way that enterprising young readers will likely enjoy.
An educational narrative guide to different methods of fabric production.
“With so much fabric already existing in the world, we should use and reuse what is already here before making new clothes from scratch.”
In celebration of their tenth birthday, twin sisters Rumi and Maya received wonderfully unique handmade dolls as gifts from their mother’s longtime friend, Shevi. The sisters loved their dolls and named them Miri and Jade, respectively. Determined to outfit their dolls with clothes as beautiful and unique as the dolls themselves, Rumi and Maya embarked on an elaborate adventure of learning and experimentation. First, they acquired silkworm eggs. For over a month, the sisters climbed the mulberry tree in their family’s front yard and picked leaves to nurture the silkworms. But despite their hard work, the worms didn’t produce nearly enough silk to clothe Miri and Jade. Next, the sisters spent over half a year growing cotton. But after months of watering and weeding, followed by tedious harvesting and separating, Maya and Rumi still didn’t have enough cloth to outfit both dolls. But then they discovered the art of using old, salvaged clothes to craft marvelous new fashion creations.
This is a delightful children’s story that extols the value of learning, hard work, and patience. Well-developed main characters perfectly depict the inquisitiveness, creativity, and sensitivity inherent in childhood. The story also demonstrates how parents can effectively maintain the delicate balance between fostering independent learning and being a consistent source of guidance and help in their children’s lives. The authors deliver a storyline that is both entertaining and informative. Light-hearted anecdotes about the twins’ pet rabbit, Hazel, also weave elements of levity into the tale. Young readers will enjoy sharing the twins’ experiences while learning about biology, agriculture, and cloth manufacturing. The story concludes with a powerful message about the benefits of recycling fabric and old clothes to preserve natural resources as well as save time and money.
Reviews
“This is a charming and beautiful book, well-written and wonderfully illustrated, that embodies several essential values about how clothes are made, the textile industry, and our ability to create clothing from existing materials. But above all, it is a wonderful story about growing up, learning, and two unforgettable sisters.
Since I have the privilege of knowing Assaf and Mical Rezoni, I received the illustrated manuscript before its publication, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I even shared it with my 11-year-old daughter to better explain why we oppose buying fast and cheap fashion, and how creative one can be with the abundance of fashion and clothing already around us. She loved the book no less than I did, and since then, she hasn’t once mentioned wanting to order clothes from “Shein”…
Highly recommended.” Raanan Shaked
“This is a wonderfully illustrated children’s book about two young kids and their adventures in making clothes “from scratch” for their dolls. The story shows the journey of creating clothing starting with silkworm eggs and cotton seeds all the way to finished clothes for their dolls. It’s a great reminder of all that’s involved in creating simple clothes and how much goes into this process. A sustainability message is artfully delivered in an enjoyable story.
The book was very motivational and had me thinking about other projects kids could do to help them understand where things come from that most of us take for granted.” Eric Kurnie
TITLE INFORMATION
MIRI AND JADE’S NEW CLOTHES
Mical Rezoni and Assaf Rezoni Archway Publishing (24 pp.)
$24.21 hardcover, $12.99 paperback, $3.99 e-book ISBN: 9781665764704
November 14, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
Ten-year-old sisters learn how to make clothes for their dolls in Mical and Assaf Rezoni’s illustrated children’s book.
On their tenth birthday, twins Maya and Rumi receive a pair of dolls respectively named Jade and Miri as a gift from a family friend. The two girls feel that Miri and Jade’s clothes are too old-fashioned, so they set out to make their own
one-of-a-kind homemade outfits from scratch. Inspired by a class project from several years ago, Maya and Rumi acquire black silkworm eggs from the Albuquerque Zoo and feed them leaves from a mulberry tree in their front yard. Rumi is shocked to learn that harvesting silk may require boiling the worms alive in their cocoons, so the twins instead research a more humane method…that disappointingly doesn’t result in very much silk. The girls then turn to cotton, which they plant in their backyard, but it grows much too slowly. “We might turn eleven before the cotton plants [mature] into cotton fiber,” Rumi moans. However, the girls persevere, and together they are able to process enough yarn to make a sweater and a scarf for Miri. They spot their father leaving the house with a box of used clothing, which they reuse to make Miri and Jade items to go with their existing homespun pieces. The Rezonis carefully detail each step of Maya and Rumi’s operation in a thoughtful, educational manner that highlights just how hard it truly is to make cloth. While their color illustrations of the children and dolls can seem unpleasantly uncanny, the portrayal of the steps of boiling silk and a diagram detailing the stages of cotton-growing appear to be well researched. This short debut book successfully conveys a message about the importance of being environmentally conscious and reusing fabric during clothing production; the story addresses a gap in children’s narrative nonfiction in a way that enterprising young readers will likely enjoy.
An educational narrative guide to different methods of fabric production.
CHILDRENS BOOK REVIEW
The US Review of Books
Miri and Jade’s New Clothes
by Mical Rezoni with Assaf Rezoni
Archway Publishing
book review by Joslyn Vann
“With so much fabric already existing in the world, we should use and reuse what is already here before making new clothes from scratch.”
In celebration of their tenth birthday, twin sisters Rumi and Maya received wonderfully unique handmade dolls as gifts from their mother’s longtime friend, Shevi. The sisters loved their dolls and named them Miri and Jade, respectively. Determined to outfit their dolls with clothes as beautiful and unique as the dolls themselves, Rumi and Maya embarked on an elaborate adventure of learning and experimentation. First, they acquired silkworm eggs. For over a month, the sisters climbed the mulberry tree in their family’s front yard and picked leaves to nurture the silkworms. But despite their hard work, the worms didn’t produce nearly enough silk to clothe Miri and Jade. Next, the sisters spent over half a year growing cotton. But after months of watering and weeding, followed by tedious harvesting and separating, Maya and Rumi still didn’t have enough cloth to outfit both dolls. But then they discovered the art of using old, salvaged clothes to craft marvelous new fashion creations.
This is a delightful children’s story that extols the value of learning, hard work, and patience. Well-developed main characters perfectly depict the inquisitiveness, creativity, and sensitivity inherent in childhood. The story also demonstrates how parents can effectively maintain the delicate balance between fostering independent learning and being a consistent source of guidance and help in their children’s lives. The authors deliver a storyline that is both entertaining and informative. Light-hearted anecdotes about the twins’ pet rabbit, Hazel, also weave elements of levity into the tale. Young readers will enjoy sharing the twins’ experiences while learning about biology, agriculture, and cloth manufacturing. The story concludes with a powerful message about the benefits of recycling fabric and old clothes to preserve natural resources as well as save time and money.