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Puzzled by Pink

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Not every girl loves pink

Izzy hates pink as much as her sister, Rose, loves it. So when Rose plans an all-pink birthday party with the guests dressed in fairy costumes, Izzy decides to give her own alternative party in the attic, where the guests will be monsters, spiders, ghosts, and the pet cat. But some powerful magic triggers the appearance of yet another guest -- an unexpected one. This will be a party nobody forgets!

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 12, 2012

1 person is currently reading
121 people want to read

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Sarah Frances Hardy

5 books19 followers

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
Profile Image for Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy).
2,546 reviews744 followers
April 15, 2012
Two sisters - one into pink and the other is not. Story was working for me until the end. Seemed like that author wasn't sure how to wrap it up and then pulled it together in a way that seems opposite of where the story was heading.
Profile Image for Patricia Weaver.
7 reviews2 followers
May 22, 2012
I've always been a girl who was puzzled by pink. No ballet slippers, magic wands or fairy wings for me. I'm more like Izzy.
This picture book is a fun story of how siblings can be very different but the same... united in sisterly love.
Puzzled By Pink shows that everyone is made special and different but that is what makes the world so great... variety and spice.... oh yes... the book also has a dragon! You'll have to read the book to figure that statement out. ;)


Profile Image for Heidi-Marie.
3,855 reviews88 followers
September 1, 2012
Definitely NOT what I was looking for in my birthday-theme preschool storytime. But still fun. To me it felt like a story from Pinkalicious' very opposite sister. I like that there is a book for the more, uh, goth girls. The ending wasn't my favorite, but I'm happy the sisters got along.
Profile Image for Lynn  Davidson.
8,102 reviews34 followers
September 6, 2018
Izzy does not want to be at her sister Rose's pink fairy-theme birthday party, so she has her own spooky party all by herself. Rose tries to coax Izzy to join her party, but then her fairy wand creates a monster of a problem.
1 review
October 3, 2022
Odd, creppy, without a purpose, why do I want to teach my little chiIdren about ghost? definitely do not recommend this book.
Profile Image for Sue Morris.
157 reviews14 followers
August 22, 2012
Jacket: Izzy’s sister Rose loves pink. In fact, she’s planned an all-pink birthday party, where guests will wear fairy wings and tutus. NOT IZZY! She is puzzled by pink, and she’s planned her own party in the attic. Her guests will be ghosts and spiders and monster dolls. Rose decides to crash the party that her magic wand really works.

Rose likes fairies, princesses, and the color pink. Izzy wears black, has a black cat, and instead of a doll, she has a green, snout-nosed monster. Today is Rose’s birthday party and all the guests are wearing pink fairy wings and pink tutus, except for young brother Fletcher, who wears only the pink wings. All the partygoers carry a gold magic wand.

Izzy, wearing a black dress, hates pink and does not understand Rose’s fascination with the color. She tries to attend the party but Rose kicks her out until she puts on the pink tutu and wings. Izzy balks and then decides to have a spooky party in the attic—no pink allowed!

First, Mrs. Bitter must change from her pink outfit to one that is purple. Izzy collects her green snout-nosed, yellow-bellied monster with the candy-striped horns. The black cat follows Izzy everywhere, so she will be attending too. In the attic, Izzy decorates with dried roses, her favorite tea set, and a few creepy-crawling spiders.

Soon, Izzy’s invisible friend V arrives and the party can commence. V sits in the haunted chair next to Rose, Mrs. Bitter sits at the end of the table, and the monster and the black cat sit on the table. Izzy is having a delightful time until Rose crashes the party with a plate of pink frosted cupcakes.

No. Thank. You. Do not give those to my monster!
Oh, look, here’s an empty seat for me!

Rose sits down in the haunted chair occupied by invisible V. When told this, she jumps up and looks all around for V—who has left the party. Izzy tells Rose to leave her perfect party.

This isn’t a real tea party.
Well, you’re not a real fairy.
I most certainly am.
That’s not even a real wand.

Rose tells Izzy her wand is real and will show her. Izzy grabs onto the wand and the two begin grappling for control. Suddenly there is a zap. The black cat is gone and in her place is a pink and black dragon.

Puzzled by Pink is the classic story of two quarrelling sisters. The two are night and day, black and pink. On the day of Izzy’s party, the differences between the two girls cause a rift. Each is in their own corner of the house having fun with friends, until one sister kind of, sort of misses the other.

I really like Ms. Hardy’s take on this over used scenario. It is fun and a little twisted with invisible V flying in the window to attend Rose’s creepy, spooky party. Ms. Hardy understands the mechanics of sisterhood. The girls are different, want their own personality, but in the end, do not like doing things without the other. With fairies, ghosts, and dragons, Puzzled by Pink brings this classic sister situation to the twenty-first century.

The illustrations are cute. Depicted in their favorite colors, Izzy and Rose could not be more different, yet it is easy to see these two girls are sisters. The whimsical illustrations add to the fun of the text. There is even a little brother, who seems caught in the middle. Bright pinks and matter-of-fact blacks give the reader an instant read on each girl’s personality.

Puzzled by Pink is definitely a book for young girls, especially if those girls are sisters and as different as black and pink.

book courtesy of the author.
Originally reviewed at Kid Lit Reviews: http://kid-lit-reviews.com/2012/07/28...
Profile Image for Darshana Khiani.
Author 3 books106 followers
Read
August 23, 2017
Sweet story about sisters who are very different, Rose likes everything Pink but Izzy the older one does not. Rose is having a pink fairy birthday party and requires all guests to be dressed in of course pink costumes (tutus and fairy wings). Izzy feels left out as she wants to attend as herself, non-pink. Rose will not allow it and Izzy runs off to the attic for her own spooky, cooky tea party with goulish friends. Later the two girls enter into a squabble about the proper way to have a tea party which causes a surprise guest to arrive uniting the two sisters, with all attending the party in the end.

There are lots of things little kids will like in this book Rose's pink fairy party with the trimmings and Izzy's witchy tea party with spiders, ghostly friend, and monster stuffed animals.

The initial theme of the story is one that will resonate with all kids, wanting to be accepted for who you are. This theme is carried well through about the first two-thirds of the book, as you feel Izzy puzzlement and pain at being left out. In the end Izzy is able to attend the party but it isn't because of any growth in either of the characters but because of the surprise guest. This leaves the theme unfinished and this reader unsatisfied.

The illustrations adeptly portray the two sisters, pink and airy for Rose, while gray and glum for Izzy. The watercolor pictures work okay providing an airy loose feeling. A few times the expressions of the characters did not match with the emotions in the text which had me a bit puzzled.
Profile Image for Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids.
1,952 reviews209 followers
April 24, 2012
This book will be a hit with little girls who love pink for those who don't. It's a story about two sisters, Rose and Izzy, who are completely opposite. Rose loves pink, dressing up, having tea parties and eating pink cupcakes. The older sister, Izzy wears black, loves her side of the room to be messy, and isn't into the frilly things her younger sibling is into. In fact, the only thing the two sisters have in common is their love for tea parties, though they're very different.

Readers get to know the girls more when during Rose's pink, frilly birthday party Izzy heads up to the attic to have her own tea party, with her own toy monsters and dolls. It's there that the sister's get into a fight over Rose's fairy wand that changes and turns Izzy's black cat into something other than a cat. Through Rose, Izzy discovers that maybe pink isn't so bad after all. The illustrations in this book are adorable! They really made this story fun. My little girl, who of course loves pink, really enjoyed having this story read to her.
Profile Image for Kayla.
1,647 reviews
December 26, 2012
I loved Puzzled by Pink. It reminded me of a children’s version of Emily the Strange. I can identify with Izzie, the main character. As a child, black was my favorite color, and all the girls in school thought I was weird because of it. The book teaches children a lesson. No matter how different someone may seem, get to know them before you judge them. It’s what is on the inside that counts, not the clothes that they wear. Puzzled by Pink also teaches that everyone, no matter how different they may be have something in common with another person. The illustrations in the book are all wonderfully drawn. I loved the ones with the black cat because they remind me of my cat, Sir Pig. My favorite drawing is the one of Izzie going up the stairs and Jinx following her. It’s adorable that they both have the same facial expression and walk the same way. This is a great children’s book. I recommend it for girls four and older.
Profile Image for Amy Dixon.
Author 7 books28 followers
January 12, 2014
In this story, we see two very different little girls, each celebrating who they are. Izzy has a bit of a harder time than Rose, since Rose’s choices are more the social norm. The very first page illustrates this beautifully, showing the sisters’ room…one side drenched in pink, and the other in stark contrast. The sibling interactions are very realistic, each thinking that their way is better, and each trying to make the other see the error of their ways. But in the end, we get the two coming together to deal with the issue of their “surprise guest,” and we see that the sisters, though very different, are there for each other. Sarah Frances Hardy has created a charming book that celebrates sisters, and gives us an opportunity to talk about expressing our individuality, even when it goes against the grain.
Profile Image for Romelle.
Author 4 books24 followers
September 25, 2012
I like the premise of this story- two sisters who are different. One is a girly girl who loves pink, the other is ghoulish and loves black. Rose has planned an all out pink party and Izzy doesn't want anything to do with it so she plans her own Halloween-like party. Can these sisters settle their differences and embrace each others individuality? Well, the theme of the story seemed obvious to me, but it somewhat gets muddled towards the end. A dragon appears with a wave of a magical wand and all of a sudden Izzy and Rose's predicament forces them together. But it is the third party- dragon that causes them to do this. It left me feeling incomplete and unsatisfied.

The illustrations are cute and whimsical, but the character expressions fall flat. Yet, I am sure PUZZLED BY PINK will draw the attention of readers with its cove art and intriguing title as it did me.
Profile Image for Alice.
4,304 reviews36 followers
June 23, 2012
I don't like the color pink, I think it is ugly, but I do LOVE the color Red..anyways one sister likes pink, one sister think pink is stupid...so she dresses in black. I don't really like black, I like color, just not pink. You will have to read what happens but I think the books hits pretty hard the pink is not a cool color :-D One sister has a pink birthday party the cool sister has an all black almost goth tea party in the attic with ghost and her cat and dead flowers. Fun little book especially for us girls who are "Puzzled by Pink"
Profile Image for Nicholas Carpathia.
32 reviews
April 29, 2012
I thought the book was a good insight for kids on the many possible differences that can exist among them.
My 7 year old Niece thought that the book was had to understand and follow along with.
I would recommend this book so a single parent trying to teach their children about sharing and diversity.
Profile Image for Peacegal.
11.6k reviews102 followers
November 15, 2012
GREAT idea, not-so-great execution. I loved the idea of a cool goth girl to counteract all of the frilly princess stuff that is bombarding young girls. However, the illustrations were rough and amateurish. The storyline, too, seems to lose itself midway.
Profile Image for Laura.
117 reviews1 follower
April 23, 2015
It's a good topic worth exploring, but it was a little odd. A dragon appearing out of nowhere at the end didn't seem to help further the book's purpose. On the other hand, most kids find it hilarious.
Profile Image for Gail.
1,540 reviews
Want to read
April 9, 2012
My 6 year old granddaughter would love this book. She thinks the whole world should be pink. I hope I can win it to give to her.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews

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