LITTLE COLOR FAIRIES

Dainty fairies prepare a young princess for the Royal Rainbow Ball in this nausea-inducing confection.

The girl is handsomely accoutered, her ensemble including “sparkly crimson shoes,” a soft, pale pink satin bow and an emerald green velvet gown. Each page focuses on one color. Gooey sweetness and clunky rhymes characterize the verse. “Fluttering fairies of black and white came with a checkered mask. / Fabulous silver fairies had a frantic fanning task.” The many nimble assistants make sure the princess needn't lift a finger; they tie her sash, hold her fans and organize a pile of laundry. The waiflike beauties sport nondescript facial expressions, matching the regal child; very few ethnicities are represented, and the princess is white. Most spreads incorporate some tactile element for children to touch. The movable parts, including the cover's glittery wings and the wand that transforms a fairy into a frog, are enabled by thick tabs that suit toddlers' fingers.

Those sturdy tabs are the only thing worth celebrating in this book.