PRISCILLA AND THE PINK PLANET

Priscilla does not need to look at the world through rose-colored glasses—everything on her planet, from the porridge to the swamps, is pink. "Please give me a signal. Just show me a sign," cries a despondent heroine. "Is there some other color in this pink world of mine?" An aberrant variegated butterfly appears and leads the girl to the Great Queen of Pink, a regent who would be at home in Alice's Wonderland. The queen captures the butterfly, deeming it a "positively obscene" fugitive from her master plan, and explains that she has made the world pink because all other colors are "simply passé ." But with a lot of pluck and a repertoire of cutey-pie expressions, Priscilla prods the Queen into realizing, "What would one color be/ without all of the others for the whole world to see?" The Hobbies, a brother-and-sister team (and the offspring of Holly Hobbie), make their children's literature debut with mixed results. Nathaniel's couplets unspool with a pleasing snap and roll, but as a collection of stanzas, the text feels flabby and overworked, as if the author were hesitant to stop rhyming and move the story forward. Jocelyn Hobbie's exuberant ink-and-watercolor pictures, on the other hand, combine a giddy abundance of detail with a stylish editorial sensibility. She seems to be channeling a bit of Dr. Seuss touched with Hilary Knight—youngsters will want to keep an eye on her. Ages 3-6. (Oct.)