Double Pink

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 7 NOV 2005

Think pink" is the mantra of Madison, a girl who can't get enough of her favorite color. From a babbling baby ("Pink!" is her first word) to a youngster choosing her wardrobe and decorating her bedroom, Madison never considers alternate hues. But to this heroine, the color is more than a mere matter of taste; it embodies feelings, too ("But her pink walls and pink ceiling were lonely without a pink bedspread, pink sheets, and a pink pillow"). Readers will be hard-pressed to find a page on which the word or color pink does not appear nearly ad nauseam. Ingram's (Boing!) illustrations in muted tones initially balance out this overabundance a hot pink party dress tempered by a pale pink birthday cake, for instance. But once Madison makes her birthday wish "that everything in the world was pink," nearly all of the remaining pages themselves are fluorescent pink, indicating a passion that has turned to obsession. Images of Madison appear in lighter and lighter strokes, until the heroine is practically invisible and, finally, very frustrated. Debut author Feiffer's ending feels somewhat contrived, but pink-obsessed girls will enjoy this tale, and the message will be familiar to parents whose children move from one interest du jour to the next. Ages 3-6.