Marley Barley, who sucks on her clothes. Why does she do it? Nobody knows. This rhyming children's book tells the story of a typical kid who would rather climb the jungle gym than the food pyramid. Look inside to discover how Marley's Mom gets her to stop eating her clothes... and start eating her vegetables, er almost. Written by Jayne Bonilla and illustrated by Janis Dougherty, Shirt for Dessert is a funny romp about a unique girl with a very common habit.

 

INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY RATINGS

EASE OF USE Shirt for Dessert is a fun, brightly colored book that the parents and children on our review team really enjoyed reading together.  The topic is light-hearted and the drawings are whimsical.  An easy read well worth sharing with the whole family - especially if you have a clothes eater!

DURABILITY Like all books for children our review team played it safe with this category.  If you have a child who is gentle on their books, their should be no durability issues.  However, if you have children, like many on our review team, that are a little rougher with their stories, Shirt for Dessert will only hold up as well as it is treated.

VISUAL APPEAL Janis Dougherty's illustrations are colorful, detailed and absolutely adorable.  The children on our review team though the pictures were cute - and our parents were definitely impressed.  As far as the visual appeal of a children's book - it doesn't get better than that!

FUNCTIONALITY n/a

COST EFFICIENCY In a blind survey our parents priced Shirt for Desert between $12 and $15.  With an actual retail price of $15.99, this book was a tad higher than they had hoped for, but well within competitive price range of other stories on the market.

ORIGINALITY Jayne Bonilla obviously took a personal story and made it one that so many parents and kids can relate to.  And for the record not a single member on our review team - parents or kids-  had ever read a book quite like this one!  However, some were willing to admit that knew a child or two (or were one themselves) who often enjoyed chewing on a collar - so it definitely hit home!

OVERALL RATING

Overall our parents and kids really did enjoy reading Shirt for Dessert.  They all thought the story was fun and lighthearted and the drawings were outstanding.  Some of the kids on our review team asked to hear it again - the ultimate compliment!