The Boy with Pink Hair (Celebra, $18; ages 4 to 8), the new children’s book by notorious celebrity blogger Perez Hilton which hit stores on September 1^st, tells the story of a boy who is born with “shockingly bright, beautiful pink hair.”  Bullied for being different, Hilton’s blue-eyed, freckled protagonist goes on to form friendships and find acceptance not in spite of, but because of, his differences.  The Boy with Pink Hair, in celebrating the talented and creative child, will no doubt appeal to similarly gifted and unconventional readers.

As the story unfolds, Hilton illustrates a benevolent world where the goodness of others ultimately prevails, a world which stands in sharp contrast to the celebrity universe portrayed in his gossip blog, perezhilton.com.  One wonders if Hilton, who has often found himself rebuked for his snarkiness but has pledged to change his ways, is parodying himself a bit in the book.  (The character the Boy with the Bad Attitude, like Hilton, reforms, becoming The Boy with a Pretty Good Attitude.)  With Hilton’s background in mind, the politically correct utopia that unfolds in the pages of The Boy with Pink Hair strikes one as a bit of an irony, but one which readers cannot help but wistfully long for.

Brooklyn resident Jen Hill’s art brings this world and Hilton’s prose into warm relief.  Fellow Brooklynites may also chuckle at her characters’ passing resemblance to neighborhood hipsters.