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Daddy Dressed Me

Beyond the Book Event with Michael Gardner and Nadia Fisher

DC Public Library and Politics and Prose are excited to welcome Michael Gardner and Nadia Fisher for a special event for Beyond the Book families.

About the Book

It’s Move Up Day for Ava and her kindergarten class, and Ava is chosen to recite a poem! She worries about remembering the words, but her daddy reassures her he will help her practice until she’s confident. But Daddy struggles with self-doubt himself when he decides to sew Ava a new dress for the occasion but isn’t sure he knows the stitches and techniques to make her a one-of-a-kind creation. Word by word and stitch by stitch, father and daughter work together, helping each other stand tall, proud, and confident, wrapped in love.

About Michael and Ava Gardner
Michael Gardner is the creator of Daddy Dressed Me, a fashion content blog featuring designs by the thirty-seven-year-old father and modeled by his ten-year-old daughter, Ava. Gardner started creating designs for Ava when she was just three years old, refashioning thrifted women’s clothing. He was looking for a new way to strengthen his relationship with his daughter and, after seeing his sister sew, decided to pick up the hobby. They live in Philadelphia.

Ava Giselle Gardner is an ambitious, confident, and thoughtful young lady. She enjoys learning, dancing, coloring, and spending quality time with family. The epitome of a princess, she loves pink, getting manicures and pedicures, wearing colorful accessories, and modeling her dad’s unique creations.

About Nadia Fisher
Nadia Fisher, based in Washington, DC, is a self-taught artist and illustrator striving to normalize inclusion in children’s books and the illustration world. She wants children from all backgrounds to be able to see themselves in the books they read, and she works to instill a sense of confidence and joy in them as well.

A limited number of copies of Daddy Dressed Me will be available courtesy of the DC Public Library Foundation. Copies will be available first come, first serve at the event only, books will not be available for pickup.

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