It's time for a change -- of clothes! Daffodil had two sisters, and they all three looked alike. People couldn't tell them apart. When Daffodil and her sisters go to parties, Mommy puts them in fancy dresses of different colors so that people will know "who is who, and which is which." Violet's dress is violet, with lots of lace. Rose's dress is pink, with little bows all over. Lucky ducks. Poor Daffodil's dress is a horrible yellow, with weird fake pearls. She hates it "very extremely hugely much." One day Daffodil finally has enough - and when she rebels, she learns something surprising from her sisters. This funny story about individuality is given a lively twist by Tomek Bogacki's colorful illustrations. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

The messages are muddled in this story about a triplet who struggles for self- expression. In a style similar to his illustrations for Five Creatures, also written by Jenkins, Bogacki differentiates the almost identical, round-faced siblings just enough so that careful readers can tell them apart even when their mother finds it difficult. Daffodil's well-intentioned mother makes the triplets wear dresses to match their names—violet for Violet, pink for Rose and, for Daffodil, a "sour, fake-cheerful yellow that reminded Daffodil of pee." Equally well-intentioned adults with "fake-cheerful voices" tease Daffodil, trying to guess her name ("Maybe she's Dandelion, or the Yellow Rose of Texas!"). Jenkins makes refrains of coy phrases, and her depictions of the children's feelings are exaggerated and simplistic. When Daffodil has had enough ("very extremely hugely much, enough"), her tantrum brings unexpected results. "Lucky duck Violet" wishes she could wear pink or yellow, and Rose says, "I hate pink! In fact, I hate it very extremely hugely much." In an abrupt denouement ("Mommy said she was sorry"), the triplets are allowed to choose their own clothes, and "they all [feel] very lucky ducky indeed." On the one hand, the book's theme about individuality seems designed primarily as an object lesson for parents; on the other hand, the rebellion-will-work resolution may not sit well with adults. Ages 4-8. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

K-Gr 3-Daffodil is having a bad day. On special occasions, her well-meaning mother has taken to dressing her and her two sisters in gowns to match their names: Rose wears a many-layered frock of the prettiest pink; Violet's is, naturally, violet, a confection of lace; but Daffodil's own dress reminds her of- pee. Daffodil hates her yellow dress "very extremely hugely much," and she's sick and tired of the lame flower jokes she is forced to endure when she wears it. Finally, it all becomes too much, and she must protest: "I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!" In fact, each girl detests her own color-coded dress and wishes she could wear another. This comes as something of a surprise to their unsuspecting mother, who is more than willing to let the girls make their own choices and express their individual tastes, now that she knows how strongly they feel. Bogacki's simple, playful pictures are wonderfully expressive, conveying the distinct personality of each child and communicating Daffodil's dilemma in child-friendly, waxy oil crayon colors that practically glow. Pair this with Margaret Chodos-Irvine's Ella Sara Gets Dressed (Harcourt, 2003) for a program about clothing and choices, or perhaps with Tom Lichtenheld's What Are You So Grumpy About? (Little, Brown, 2003) to launch a chat about frustration.-Kathy Krasniewicz, Perrot Library, Old Greenwich, CT Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

PreS-Gr. 2. Everyone has trouble telling triplets Violet, Rose, and Daffodil apart. For parties, Mommy outfits the girls in fluffy, color-coded party dresses to help the grown-ups see who's who: Violet wears purple, Rose wears the pink, and Daffodil gets sour pee-yellow. She thinks her dress confuses people: Maybe she's Dandelion. Finally, Daffodil refuses to don the detested dress: I hate it very extremely hugely much! And to her surprise, she discovers that her sisters hate their colors, too. For the next party, the children switch dresses, and eventually, they choose new outfits of their own. In simple rhythmic sentences,enkins tells a sly story, and most children will recognize the irritating grown-ups who squelch individuality. Painting in his signature style of feathery strokes and skewed angles, Bogacki skillfully extends the children's sense of claustrophobia in scenes of crowding, fake-cheerful adults, as well as the joyful relief as the girls spin and dance, dressed as who they want to be. --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2004 Booklist From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.