“I wasn’t always Grandma, you know, bespectacled and stiff-kneed. Once I was Sarah May.” So begins a beautiful, lyrical story about a young girl from long ago, her practical parents, and an elusive red dress.

Sarah May needs a new dress. Her mother says it must be one that will last. Her father says it must be cheap. Sarah May quietly hopes it will be red. Only the West Wind listens. “Dark blue,” decides her mother. “I hate dark blue,” mutters Sarah May. The dress is made; Sarah May endures it but continues to hope for a miracle. The West Wind comes to the rescue, bringing a rainstorm that soaks Sarah May and the dark blue dress, sending rivers of blue dye dripping down her legs. The dress is ruined! The only solution is to bleach it and dye it a different colour. Sarah May is sent to town to choose the dye, and her wish for a red dress is finally granted.

Author Andrea Spalding (The Most Beautiful Kite in the World, Finders Keepers) has a good ear for language. Her text sings as she tells the story of the youthful, innocent, and wistful Sarah May, an Anne Shirley-ish character who never stops hoping for something beautiful to brighten her world. The vibrant illustrations by Janet Wilson, the award-winning artist who illustrated such fine books as Selina and the Bear Paw Quilt and In Flanders Fields, bring rich colour and stunning landscapes to the story. The wind and rain are almost tangible; the glorious red dress comes alive. Sarah May’s disappointment and later joy are rendered in her every expression.

Sarah May and the New Red Dress captures a child’s sadness at being denied a much longed-for item, hope that it will come someday, and ultimate joy of a dream come true. It is a lovely book to read and treasure.