GLITTER

Gloria, a little rhino, loves to spread “glittery happiness” in all her ventures.

Even though glitter is not a color, it is still Gloria’s favorite, as she uses it for everything she owns, giving her pants, slippers, and even scooter that extra “glitterama-razzamatazz.” Gloria scoots through town unperturbed about all the extra glitter she accidentally deposits on everyone and everything, leaving the town’s menagerie of anthropomorphic animal residents quite annoyed. “She glitzed up the plumbers, she spangled the drummers, she spritzed up the teachers and the long-distance runners.” Sweet, colorful cartoon paintings against a stark white background depict vexed workers and citizens, each with dabs of sparkly glitter on faces, feet, and bums. Protests of “No more glitter, Gloria!” are ignored by the little rhino, and, when everyone tries to clean up, things just get even messier. Then laughter breaks out, with the town finally accepting the happiness that Gloria’s trail of glitter inspires. Gloria’s unruffled composure makes for a whimsical counterpoint to the mostly rhyming text, the irregularity of which works surprisingly well. “Soon Gloria’s glitter had covered the entire town! There was some on the tower / and lots on the steeple, / As well as the market / and all of the people.”

For little artists eager to spread some cheer with their glitter pens—on paper, of course.