Pink Me Up

For pink-obsessed Violet Bunny, attending the Pink Girls Pink-nic and Tea Party with her mama is the best day of the year-you should see her outfit! It's always been girls-only, and pink-pink-pink. But when Mama wakes up with pink spots, the day seems ruined-until Daddy steps in to take her place. But Daddy is a boy, and not at all pink. What to do? Why, pink him up, of course. And with stickers, glitter, ribbons, and tape, the pink-nic becomes a daddy-daughter outing, and Violet's pinked-up daddy is the hit of the party. Violet realizes she can pink up anything-and she will! Here's a bunny-funny, sweet offering sure to please daughters and parents.

For pink-obsessed Violet Bunny, attending the Pink Girls Pink-nic and Tea Party with her mama is the best day of the year-you should see her outfit! It's always been girls-only, and pink-pink-pink. But when Mama wakes up with pink spots, the day seems ruined-until Daddy steps in to take her place. But Daddy is a boy, and not at all pink. What to do? Why, pink him up, of course. And with stickers, glitter, ribbons, and tape, the pink-nic becomes a daddy-daughter outing, and Violet's pinked-up daddy is the hit of the party. Violet realizes she can pink up anything-and she will! Here's a bunny-funny, sweet offering sure to please daughters and parents.

Publishers Weekly

Harper (the Fashion Kitty series) delivers a frothy tale that will most appeal to girls with an untiring love of all things pink. Clad ears to toe in that color, a rabbit is excited that the day of the “Pink Girls Pink-nic” has arrived, until Mama wakes up sick (“Why is Mama wearing pink spots? Did you put them on specially for the party?”). When Daddy offers to accompany the girl instead, she'll have none of it, exclaiming “Boys are NOT pink!” A pink necktie isn't quite enough, but after he announces, “We just have to pink me up,” she decorates his clothes with pink marker, tape, and stickers and deems him “perfectly pink.” He's a hit at the party—and she's the envy of all her friends. Rendered in acrylic, Harper's characteristically unadorned, childlike cartoons add to the book's whimsy and rosy exaggeration (exclamation points and the color pink go hand in hand, and both are used with abandon). Even readers who aren't as single-minded when it comes to colors will empathize with the heroine's emotional highs and lows. Ages 5–8. (Feb.)

Charise Mericle Harper is the author and illustrator of many books for children, including the Just Grace series. In a starred review, Booklist called Just Grace "hilarious" and said, "The kids come alive in the story, and Harper enhances the comical goings-on with sparkling cartoon sketches. Give this to . . . anyone looking for a funny book." Charise lives in New York City.