Message in a Bottle

May 29, 2006
After a day of eating too many pink cupcakes (they're "pinkalicious!") a pigtailed girl wakes up to discover she's pink through and through. The pink-crazed protagonist joins several others starring in recent titles (Kate Feiffer's Double Pink; J.otto Seibold's The Fuchsia Is Now). "I cried because I was so beautiful," gushes the heroine. "I even had pink tears." And given the pediatrician's suggested cure-"a steady diet of green food"-the girl is perfectly happy to remain as she is. But when she covertly eats one more pink cupcake and turns fire-engine red, she realizes it's time to take the doctor's advice. A witty montage of photos, clip art and drawings captures the heroine eating every kid's nightmare: "pickles and spinach, olives and okra." The text may be literal and obvious, but the artwork creates enough visual interest to keep pink-loving gals involved in this tale of wonderful-to-wretched excess. Ages 5-8.

August 14, 2006
After a day of eating too many pink cupcakes (they're "pinkalicious!") a pigtailed girl wakes up to discover she's pink through and through. The pink-crazed protagonist joins several others starring in recent titles (Kate Feiffer's Double Pink; J.otto Seibold's The Fuchsia Is Now). "I cried because I was so beautiful," gushes the heroine. "I even had pink tears." And given the pediatrician's suggested cure-"a steady diet of green food"-the girl is perfectly happy to remain as she is. But when she covertly eats one more pink cupcake and turns fire-engine red, she realizes it's time to take the doctor's advice. A witty montage of photos, clip art and drawings captures the heroine eating every kid's nightmare: "pickles and spinach, olives and okra." The text may be literal and obvious, but the artwork creates enough visual interest to keep pink-loving gals involved in this tale of wonderful-to-wretched excess. Ages 5-8.

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2006
PreS-Gr 2 -Pinkalicious eats so many pink cupcakes that she wakes up the next morning with pink skin and hair. The color just won -t wash off, and the doctor diagnoses her with Pinkititis and tells her to eat green food to get better. Still, when her parents aren -t looking, she sneaks just one more treat -and turns red. Startled, she starts to choke down her veggies and finally returns to normal. When everything seems okay, Daddy asks what happened to the other cupcakes, and Pinkalicious -s little brother bounds into the room with one in hand, happily showing off his new pink skin. The final -Pink-a-boo! - is sure to garner smiles. The computer-generated collage pictures are bold and appealing and will draw readers into the story. Although the main character is a bit obnoxious, children will be amused by her obsession with pink sweets. Reminiscent of David Shannon -s "A Bad Case of Stripes" (Scholastic, 1998), Kann -s lighter confection is a pink lover -s dream come true." -Erlene Bishop Killeen, Fox Prairie Elementary School, Stoughton, WI"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2006
K-Gr. 2. A little girl recounts her rainy-day adventure with pink cupcakes, which she ate and ate until she turned pink herself. "I'm Pinkerbelle!" she sings, crying tears of delight as she admires her raspberry-hued complexion. Her mom takes her straight to the doctor, who prescribes lots of green food. But she cannot resist another cupcake or two, and her delicate pink skin tone deepens to an angry red! Horrors. She proceeds to choke down everything green she can find (relish, brussels sprouts, grapes, even a cup of acid-green tea). Just as the formerly "pinkalicious" girl returns to normal, her little brother, now quite rosy, shouts "Pink-a-boo!" The digitally created artwork, featuring busy collage elements and big-headed, vacant-eyed figures, won't win any awards, but the fun premise (and cotton-candy-hued, glitter-dusted jacket) will guarantee an audience. Pair this with David Shannon's " A Bad Case of Stripes "(1998).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)