Nikki Hind: Dressed for success (John Dickson, illus Chantel de Sousa, Berbay)

Nikki Hind: Dressed for Success is part of Vision Australia’s Big Vision series that profiles Australian people living with blindness or low vision. It’s a short biography of Nikki Hind, a blind fashion designer with her own label, Blind Grit, which employs disabled people and trauma survivors. Written by CBCA award-winning author John Dickson in consultation with Hind, the story takes us from Hind’s childhood, when she was blind in one eye, through to adulthood, when she lost most of her remaining vision after a stroke when she was pregnant. Regardless of her vision, Hind has always loved fashion, dressing up, finding her confidence, and watching fashion parades. She took the big step of attending fashion school and launching her own label, now shown at Melbourne Fashion Week. Printed with braille alongside the text, this is an inclusive read that explores courage, resilience, the lure of fashion, how we present ourselves in the world, and the joy of disabled community and opportunity. Chantel de Sousa’s bright illustrations beautifully capture Hind’s designs and the movement of fabric. This format pairs well with the Little People Big Dreams series and collections such as Shannon Meyerkort’s Brilliant Minds. For ages 6 and up.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Clare Millar is a writer, editor and children's bookseller. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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Category: Reviews