MR. SWEETUMS WEARS PINK Charlotte Hutchinson Illustrated by Brenda Jones Charlottetown, Ragweed Press, 1991. 24pp, paper, $5.95 ISBN 0-921556-18-7. CIP Pre-school to Grade 1/Ages 3 to 6 Reviewed by Joan Skogan Volume 20 Number 2 1992 March Mr. Sweetums Wears Pink, with a cover featuring a picture of its star orange tomcat, suitably framed in pink, is a first book from writer Charlotte Hutchinson and the fifth illustrated by Brenda Jones. The difference in experi­ence, and perhaps in editorial attention to pictures rather than text, is evident. The generous, richly coloured and often humorous illustrations overwhelm a story that doesn't quite work on either a completely realistic or a fantasy level. Mr. Sweetums wears pink because he belongs to three little girls who dress him in a miraculously fitting miniature pink ballet tutu just like theirs. While he eventually becomes reconciled to his lot - "You see, Mr. Sweetums loves to dance. When the three girls practice their ballet, Mr. Sweetums stays awake and watches. He pretends not to, but he really does watch - very carefully" - the ending is somewhat ambiguous, as Mr. Sweetums, who is undeniably male, dances female roles in a girl's costume. Children six and under will likely be won by the fine and funny illustrations and may not care at all that Mr. Sweetums is being coerced into more than wearing a pink ballet costume. Teachers and librarians will care, however, about trite ("a funny little boy or girl") and ungrammatical phrases in the text. Joan Skogan, Vancouver, B.C.