I think a hinky pink that is unhappy lives in my house. ( )

Annabel was a seamstress who longed to work with fine fabrics and materials. When the princess of Firenze ruined her best dress, the princess's servant escorted Annabel to the palace, and gave her the commission of a lifetime: create the gown that the royal lady would wear to the Butterfly Ball. Unfortunately, our heroine found herself tormented by a hinky-pink, a sort of tiny hudgin. How would she create the dress in time, when that annoying hinky-pink wouldn't let her sleep, and her work suffered as a consequence...?

The Hinky Pink was apparently inspired by the story "The Bed Just So," contained in Margery Bailey's 1940 collection, Whistle for Good Fortune. It was also retold by Jeanne B. Hardenoff in 1975. It isn't clear to me, from the author's brief afterword, if this is a traditional Italian tale - McDonald writes of 'restoring' the story to its original setting - or an original fairy-tale that happens to be set in Italy. If the latter, wouldn't the 'hinky pink' have a more Italian name? Whatever the case may be, this was a fairly engaging fairy-tale, one that reminded me a bit of stories like Rumpelstiltskin, which also had a young woman locked up and made to create something for a royal personage. The artwork here, done by Caldecott medalist Brian Floca, captures the zany humor of the story. Recommended to young fairy-tale lovers. ( )

This book is great because the point of view is of the Princess' seamstress. Anabel is talented and creative. This story shows a strong young woman not just a little girl. Floca's illustrations enhance the story at every turn of the page.

I liked this book for several reasons. I feel this way mainly because of the illustrations and the writing within the story. Before even opening the book, I was intrigued as to what the story was going to be about, just by the image on the front cover. The illustration was so detailed and colorful, that my attention was grabbed instantly. The pages within the story are just the same, in that each drawing is filled with minute details that make the pictures come to life. Each emotion Anabel was feeling, I could sense because of the picture that corresponded with the text. When Anabel comes in contact with the Hinky Pink, the language on the pages changes slightly, so that all of the interactions she has with the creature, are shown in speech bubbles. I found the placement of the language within the bubbles to be very engaging, helpful, and comical. I found myself looking for the speech bubbles before even reading the text, in anticipation of what the Hinky Pink was going to say next. The big idea within the story, is perseverance. On several occasions, Anabel wanted to give up trying to make the Hinky Pink happy, though she persevered instead, and that action paid off for her in the end. ( )

This book is about a girl named Anabel who sews all day, every day. She is a wonderful sewer and is asked to make a very special dress for the princess. She goes to the castle and stays in a beautiful, comfy bed but cannot sleep because someone keeps taking her covers. She cannot sew her best during the day because she is too tired. The thing waking her at night is a hinky pink, and all it needs is a bed of its own. After trying many beds, she discovers the hinky pink is tiny and wants a thimble and some satin for a bed. The hinky pink finally sleeps in its own bed, and Anabel makes a beautiful dress for the princess to wear to the ball.