The Dress and the Girl, by Camille Andros (words) and Julie Morstad (pictures) (Abrams Books) won the 2018 AML Picture Book Award. Joella Bagshaw, the Children’s Services Manager at the Provo City Library conducted this interview with Camille. Thank you Joella and Camille!
Award citation: The Dress and the Girl is a delightful story that explores dreams, memories, and what constitutes an “extraordinary” experience in an “ordinary” world. The story begins when a mother makes a dress for her daughter. The girl loves life and loves the dress. Then one day the girl and her dress begin a journey to a new land; unfortunately, amongst all the hustle and bustle of getting to New York City the girl and the dress get separated. Life continues on and eventually there is a moment of sweet reunion and remembered dreams in this “extraordinary” story. The text is poignant with just enough detail to get to know the story and a plentiful amount of ambiguity to allow readers to reflect on their own lost memories. The illustrations show the many details of life on a Greek island, travel to a distant harbor, and life in the new land—and yet the callbacks in the illustrations remind readers of the similarities and differences that happen to the dress and the girl over time. This is a beautiful example of how text and art can form an “extraordinary” story.
Q: This story feels like it has many bits of family history and stories woven through it. How did you come up with this story and do you have any family stories that inspire you? Also, what was your favorite dress that you wore when you were a child?
A: My husband’s great grandfather immigrated to the United States from Greece. He was one of eleven children and never saw the rest of his family again. My husband and I were able to visit the small Greek Village where his great grandfather was born and were excited to meet family members we didn’t know of that still live there today. It has created such a special connection for our families and I was so thrilled to be able to share The Dress and The Girl with them, as the book is dedicated to the Androutsos (the family name before it was shortened to Andros at Ellis Island) family.
My mother made me many beautiful dresses over the years. Many I still have and have passed down to my own daughters. I’ve worn them in special places all over the world and have been able to share the stories of where the dresses have been with my daughters. Those stories and dresses connect my daughters and my mother to those moments in my life even though they were not there with me.
Q: In what ways do you (or others that you admire) live extraordinary, ordinary lives? Why do you think it is important to celebrate the extraordinary, ordinary?
A: I feel like it can be easy for us—children especially–to feel like our lives are ordinary and we aren’t doing anything of real merit or value. Children have such little control over their daily routines made up by the adults in their lives. But in actuality it is those small ordinary every day moments, thoughts, decisions, and actions the add up to create an extraordinary life, and there is so much beauty in the simplicity of quiet everyday moments. I also wanted to recognize and show gratitude for the sacrifice and bravery of the immigrants and refugees current and past for their efforts to start a new life for themselves and their families. I have my family today because of that sacrifice.
Q: This book is beautifully illustrated—I was especially impressed with the recurring panels that reference the wagon, the ship, the school, and playing tag. Did you work closely with the illustrator or did the illustrator have to glean all her information and ideas from your text? What is the process for writing a picture book manuscript when you are not the illustrator and have no idea what the illustrations will look like?
A: Thank you! Julie did such a breathtaking job with the illustrations. Interestingly enough, in the picture book making process the author and illustrator do not collaborate with each other at all. It seems an odd process, but it works well to allow the illustrator to bring their own unique vision to the project. I included art notes in places to clarify what was happening in the story since the text is so spare, but often times the editor doesn’t even include those when sharing the text with the illustrator. It’s a true creative collaboration and I’ve always been delighted by the result.
Q: The Dress and the Girl is a very different book from the Charlotte the Scientist books. What was the process for writing a book that celebrates the extraordinary, ordinary life versus writing a series that talks about the scientific method with a cute bunny protagonist?
A: Yes! They are very different books, but oddly enough the process is very similar. I imagine a story I want to tell and I write and re-write it until it is the best I can do at the time. I strive to write books of love, light, and empowerment for children, so when a child reads them, they are able to see themselves in the pages of the book and feel like they too can accomplish the extraordinary. I hope no matter the difference in my books, readers are able to feel something that will better their life in some small way.
Q: Do you have any other fun projects on the horizon or is there anything else you would like to tell us about? What can we look forward to seeing in the future?
A: I have a picture book biography about Eliza Hamilton coming out in October with Macmillan titled, From a Small Seed: The Story of Eliza Hamilton, illustrated by Tessa Blackham (a fellow BYU alumnus) which I am very excited about. Tessa’s illustrations are exquisite and I can’t wait to share this book with the world.
I will be at the Provo Library on August 27th at 7:00 pm to share my latest Charlotte The Scientist book which released this spring and talk all things picture books and publishing. I have a few other exciting projects as well, I will hopefully be able to share about soon, so be sure to follow me on Instagram @camilleandros for the latest updates and details.
Camille Andros has made her home in Israel, Utah, Arizona, California, Ohio, Nevada, and, now, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She has her BA in health science, is an EMT, and danced ballet for fourteen years. Julie Morstad is an award-winning artist living with her family in Vancouver. She is the illustrator of many books for children, including Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova, When Green Becomes Tomatoes, and This Is Sadie.
Joella Bagshaw has been a librarian for just over 16 years. She has worked in libraries in Utah, Illinois, and Washington State as well as with national library committees.