MADE BY RAFFI

A boy with a flair for fashion finds affirmation.

Raffi wonders why he is different from all the other boys in school; he would rather sit quietly than play rough games. When his teacher shows him how to knit, he is excited and soon starts a scarf for his father with skeins of yarn in rainbow colors. The project grows and grows and grows as Raffi ignores the laughter from the children on their school bus. He asks his very supportive parents if maybe he is “strange or weird” or “girly” or a “Tomgirl.” No, they answer; he is wonderful. The next project is a cape for a classmate playing a prince in a school play. Step by step (illustrated on a double-page spread), Raffi designs and sews it together. After some initial teasing, the other kids are enthusiastic and ask him to create clothes for them. Acceptance and support envelop the future fashion designer. Chamberlain’s pencil, ink and digital art is colorful, comic and lively. Raffi is surely fortunate to be in such a positive setting, and hopefully he can be a model for all Tomgirls. “Mum” and “metre” are the only two Briticisms in this import.

A solid support for all children who don’t fit an accepted mode of behavior.