Dressy, yet Messy Jessie

This book appeals to the young and the young-at-heart. Designed with the heart and soul of a child, characters address the child in all of us; the child who ventures into the world, and sees it from their own unique perspective.

In Dressy, yet Messy Jessie, a flower-girl is dressed in her best finery. She is finished early; she is bored, and everyone’s attention is focused on the bride, Aunt Ryu. Jessie is bored waiting by a window and sees a rainbow after the rain. She knows not to get dirty, and she is aware that she should remain indoors and stay clean.

However, Jessie justifies that no one will ever know if she ventures outside to play. She ends up stepping outside out of boredom and temptation. But, "Oh no!" it starts to rain, and Jessie soon finds herself drenched! Her clothes, hair, shoes, and hose are sopping wet. What to do? Jessie must face her mother along with the rest of the bridal party and learn a very important lesson.

This story should elicit an adult’s association with either being this girl, or, perhaps parenting one. For the child reading this book, the fear, as well as the risk and possibility of misbehavior, with the ramifications of fixing the problem, is felt. Either way, through rhyme, life’s lessons are learned in childhood through humor and creativity. Life’s consequences serve as a teaching tool, both for teachers and parents in dealing with children in conflicts of childhood.

-- Eileen Thea Mammen