Purplicious

Our pink-loving heroine finds herself persecuted by the other girls at school in this follow-up to her initial adventure, chronicled in the eponymous Pinkalicious. When her classmates declare that pink is passé (and even putrid) and that black is where it's at, Pinkalicious is thrown into a funk, especially when no one will play with her. Attempting to fit in by abandoning her favorite color, she has vanilla ice cream instead of Pink Passion Fruit Paradise, and even begins to paint a picture using black paint. Then she meets a girl who loves blue, and together they make an amazing new hue: purple!

As with its predecessor, I was singularly unimpressed with Purplicious, finding the artwork flat and uninteresting, the heroine obnoxious, show more and the story unappealing. Leaving aside the unlikelihood of a scenario in which little goth girls torment pink princesses - is this really a thing? - I was troubled here by the fact that the bullying issue is resolved for the main character through her interaction with another girl, who offers her some reinforcement, when it comes to her love of pink, rather than through any internal realization that tastes vary, that it's perfectly acceptable for some little girls to like black, and others to like pink, and that bullying anyone for their favorite color is both mean-spirited and stupid. I rather regret that I've committed to reading this entire series, as part of a project, as so far I have been less-than-thrilled. There are far better stories out there about bullying, and far-better series about sparkle-loving girls - this one is not recommended. show less

Purplicious follows a young girl, Pinkalicious, who loves the color pink. One day in school, a group of students decides that they no longer like the color pink, and that only black is acceptable. They begin to tease her about her love of pink. She briefly doubts her love of pink before realizing that it is part of who she is. This book would be a good book to use in the classroom because it reminds students that they should not let others dictate their interests. The book is definitely geared more towards younger girls, so I would most likely give this to individual students rather than use it in whole class.

This story is great for students to stay true to themselves no matter what others think. I felt sad for the young girl, as she gave up who she was in order to better fit in, even though it made her very sad. She pretended that she didn't like the color pink anymore because some unfriendly girls at her school said that it was not a great color, and that black is better. I love how in the end, Purplicious appears and shows her that she fearlessly loves the color purple. Pinkalicious is then able to go back to her true self and that's what matters.

This book was much better than book one. Pinkalicious is still whiny but we see another side of her. Most of the girls in school are over the color pink. It’s on to black now. Until she makes a new friend that shows her what magic can happen when you mix pink and blue. Still not impressed with this series, especially because of the “licious”. I blame Beyonce. She had a major hit with Bootylicious, and now we are stuck with “licious” in our lexicon.

A fantastic story! A girl that likes the color pink in spite of the people around her telling her is not the "right" color. There are ENDLESS comparisons with this idea connected to sexual orientation and personal identity as well as freedom issues. Beautifully written.

Purplicious is about a little girl who's favorite color is pink. She loves pink and everything she owns is pink. Well the other girls at school like the color black. They make fun of her and she becomes lonely. She begins to feel discouraged until a girl in her art class cheers her up. The girl needed the color pink and says the color is perfect and powerful. She mixes pink and blue to make purple. The girl become purplicious.
Personal Reaction:
I like this story because it shows you should always be yourself no matter what other people think. The little girl feels lonely but she still likes the color no matter what. I also like how the girls in her class says EVERYONE likes black now. When EVERYONE in the world doesn't like black. It show more shows how drastic children's mind work and how the little girl almost begins to change until she is eassured by another little girl.
Extension Ideas:
I would have the children make a collage of their favorite color.
I would have my students write about a time when their friends liked something different from them and how that made them feel. show less

A sweet story of a girl whose personality is perfect in pink, but feels the pressure to fit in. In the end she finds companionship when she stays true to who she is.
A good story for k-2, especially if paired with other stories of a similar nature. Would be a good writing prompt for things you enjoy or are special about you.