Too Purpley!

Too purpley, too tickly, too puckery, too prickly!

There is not a single outfit in the closet that our little fashion plate wants to wear. She tries on everything, but nothing is quite right. And the outfits are getting wilder by the minute!

It's a scene that is all too familiar to parents, wrapped up in a package that is all too difficult to resist: a playful rhyme scheme and colorful, textile-driven art.

Publishers Weekly

Debut author Reidy’s couplets about a fussy dresser deliver their message with maximum economy. Leloup’s persnickety toddler looks like a paper doll; she’s a two-dimensional cutie-pie with dots for eyes, pigtails, and an awesome collection of outfits. Unfortunately, she doesn’t like any of them. “NOT THESE CLOTHES!” she yells at her mother, who enters carrying an enormous pile of options. “Too purpley,” the girl continues, as she is seen dressed in a purple pullover and jumper, against purple wallpaper (even her pet turtle is purple). The complaints add up: “Too tickly, too puckery, too prickly,” she wails, as the toddler laughs at a big furry sweater, tries to smooth out a wrinkly outfit, and holds her arms out so her cactus sweater doesn’t stick her. Neatly constructed rhymes carry through to the girl’s selection of sneakers, a pullover, jumper, and pair of pants—she rejects all the Fancy Nancy finery for sensible everyday wear. “So comfy!” she finishes. “Just right!” Both art and text have a somewhat generic feel, but they’re tidily executed, and a clothing-obsessed readership awaits. Ages 3–5. (Feb.)

Author Jean Reidy's been told that a naughty little kid lurks somewhere inside her – and she takes that as a high compliment. She writes from her home in Greenwood Village, Colorado where she lives with her husband, Mike. She has four children and hoards of nieces and nephews who provide her endless inspiration. Too Purpley! was her first picture book. Please visit her at www.jeanreidy.com.

Geneviève Leloup studied graphic arts, animation, and printing in Belgium where she was born. Her whimsical illustrations have highlighted editorial articles, paper products, ads, packaging, children’s furniture, and textiles (including lots of children’s clothes), but this is her very first picture book. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.