Pink!

PreSchool-Grade 1—One day, Patrick the penguin wakes up pink. When his classmates make fun of him, he swims to Africa to meet the flamingos. But he doesn't fit in there either, so he heads home. His friends are impressed with his journey and happy to see him, prompting him to decide that his mom was right—being different is not so bad. This rehashing of the theme of accepting one's differences includes humor, but Patrick's classmates' turnaround is a bit facile, and nothing is truly new here. Charmberlain's bright cartoon illustrations are reminiscent of Mary Murphy's work, although somewhat more detailed. Patrick is, well, very pink, with his feet an impressive shade of fuchsia. While the text is set in a typeface that can be hard to decipher at times, the story reads aloud smoothly and reflects a childlike sensibility. However, some literal-minded youngsters may want a bit more explanation for why the penguin became pink and whether or not he will stay that way. For another take on accepting differences that includes flamingos, pick up a copy of Ellen Stoll Walsh's For Pete's Sake (Harcourt, 1998).—Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT
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Patrick the penguin awakens one morning to find he's inexplicably turned pink from head to foot. Boys can't be pink! he declares in all-capital letters. The doctor has no explanation (none is ever offered), but Patrick's dad points out that flamingos in Africa are pink and at least half are boys. Tired of being teased, Patrick swims to Africa and tries, unsuccessfully, to fit in with the friendly flamingos. Returning home, he is welcomed and respected for his adventure, and happily resigns himself to being forever pink: Being different wasn't so bad after all. Although Chamberlain's comical illustrations suit the exclamatory tone of the text, the book is loud and busy. Blurring a retro message about gender coding with a lesson about difference, the story fails to inspire sympathy for Patrick or offer solace to kids who might share Patrick's feelings. Design choices don't help; the erratic placement of text turns many pages into a jumble of words fighting for space with the images. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)
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Patrick, a young Antarctic penguin, discovers that his traditional color scheme has mysteriously changed overnight. Not even the doctor can figure out why he is suddenly pink. Tired of  being teased for his rosy hues at school, Patrick swims north to Africa to be with the flamingos. After all, he figures, pink is a normal color for boy birds there. But he’s not exactly one of the gang in that community either: he can’t fly or stand on one leg, the water feels too warm, and his beak is the wrong shape for flamingo food. Returning home, he finds that his dichromatic friends are fascinated by his adventure and immediately accept him back, resulting in the facile and inevitable conclusion that “Being different wasn’t so bad after all.” The plot and text are unrefined, and it’s uncertain whether this is trying to be a story about exotic birds, gender identity, self-acceptance, or all three. The art makes the strongest statement, with thick lines and distinct, bright, eye-catching colors.