Boy Who Spoke Colors Rnf

Protective of their only child, Pavel and Jobina keep Felix wrapped in a multi-colored scarf, pieced together from Jobina's scraps. When the time comes for the youngster to learn to talk, however, ``he opened his mouth to speak, and out came a puff of color instead.'' News of this unique talent reaches the greedy king, who locks Felix up in the castle and forces him to bottle up his various colors. The despondent lad is befriended by Katya, a servant girl, and together the two outwit the ruler, finally reuniting with Pavel and Jobina. Gifaldi deserves plaudits for his fresh and original concept--language taking visual form--but his narrative often becomes bogged down in lengthy descriptions and overblown language. (``The colors joined like strips of a wondrous garment and took flight, arching higher and higher to the very belly of the sky, then began their descent, spilling back to earth far to the west.'') In Greger's picture-book debut, light-drenched watercolors exhibit a liquid fluidity, allowing color to spill across the page as it forms images. The ultimate effect, however, is too advanced--and even abstruse--for a picture book. Ages 7-10. (Apr.)