Kate Feiffer

IN THE 'PINK'
VINEYARD AUTHOR'S CHILDREN'S BOOK WINS RAVES

By C.K. WOLFSON
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

OAK BLUFFS - A freelance writer and film maker, Kate Feiffer is happily describing her first children's book while 7-year-old daughter Maddy performs original songs and Henry, a very personable Australian shepherd, begs attention.

Every so often, Maddy - all smiles, freckles and skinny legs - scrambles up on the couch next to her mother for a quick show and tell or to recite lines she's memorized from her mother's new book: ''When Madison was a baby, her parents waited for her to say her first word. They waited and waited.'' Maddy's voice grows louder. ''And then, after they waited a little longer, Madison said, 'PINK!'''

It is a gentle commotion in which everything feels decidedly festive.

Maybe it's all that pink.

Feiffer's recently released book, ''Double Pink'' (Paula Wiseman Books/​Simon and Schuster; $15.95) tells the story of Madison, a precocious little girl whose color preference results in her disappearance into a world of head-to-toe, floor-to-ceiling pink.

With whimsical illustrations by British artist Bruce Ingman, ''Double Pink,'' released at the end of October 2005, is already in its second printing, and Feiffer has been signed to write more books.

In December, Penelope Green wrote in The New York Times Book Review, ''Feiffer has an economy of style and understated wit that reminds me of her father, Jules, and also of the way children really speak.''

From his home in New York, Jules Feiffer, the Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and Tony-nominated playwright, sounds very much the proud father: ''She has an eclectic and lively mind.'' The famed satirist will illustrate Kate's next book about her dog, Henry, of whom he admits he is very partial. ''I couldn't allow anyone else to draw the book about that dog,'' he says.

The idea for ''Double Pink'' came while Kate Feiffer was on a Bonanza Bus returning from Boston to the Vineyard ferry at Woods Hole. It was based on her own experience with Maddy, who at 3 began loving all things pink.

In fact, pink floats like confetti through Maddy's bedroom. It overflows the toy box, and comes in dots, checks and strips on the rugs, curtains and bookcase.

After cautioning Maddy not to feed Henry cookies, Feiffer, 42, explains the difficulties in writing children's books: finding the right story and voice. ''I think that children's stories are nuanced in a lot of ways that people don't recognize,'' she says.

But this time, everything came together. ''I'm pretty insecure about my writing,'' she admits, ''but I felt as if I had something real enough to show to people and get some feedback.''

''Bubble Gum Pink. Princess Pink,'' announces Maddy, when her mother credits her with helping think of the names for pink colors in the book.

Feiffer tested her efforts with her writers group, Maddy and her friends, and her husband of 10 years, Chris Alley, a civil engineer. ''Chris is a very good editor,'' Feiffer says. ''He's very organized and tidy. I just don't have that gene.''

With the open book on her lap, Maddy snuggles against her mother, pointing out the word pink in Ingman's illustrations. Feiffer patiently gives each discovery its due, then continues, ''The way I work is that I come up with the idea and start writing a rough draft. Then I move on to another project. I'll revisit the first project, then, if it still seems worthy, I'll work on that.''

About ''Double Pink,'' she recalls, ''I had the sense, wow, this might actually get some notice. I did feel I had a shot, but I wouldn't let myself believe it would happen because I know how difficult and competitive it is. Children's books are such a long shot. There are so many factors: Does your manuscript connect with the editor? Does the story land on the someone's desk who will read it and say, 'Wow, I want to spend time with this and work with this?'''

In 2002, her mother, Judy Feiffer (author of ''My Passionate Mother''), sent it to her editor, who passed it to an editor at Simon and Schuster, who sent it to their new imprint, Paula Wiseman Books.

A couple of months passed. Feiffer didn't call to follow up. ''I just can't deal with rejection on the phone,'' she says,

Listening to the unassuming author, one would not suspect she was New York born and bred, the daughter of authors and the stepdaughter of writer/​standup comedian Jenny Allen. Feiffer left Manhattan in her 20s to work in Boston as a freelance television producer for ''Real Life,'' ''Frontline'' and WHDH (Channel 7) news.

Feiffer grew up spending summers on the Vineyard. After marrying an island native, she commuted from Boston, moving to the Vineyard year-round in 1998. ''Being on the Vineyard allowed me to have the time to do work that I really wanted to do,'' she says.

Another of her projects is ''Matzo & Mistletoe,'' a documentary that examines Jewish identity when one is raised by nonobservant Jewish parents. Feiffer sighs and admits, ''The film was supposed to be finished years before the book was published.''

But ''Double Pink'' quickly went from idea to reality. Editor Paula Wiseman remembers, ''Kate's manuscript arrived at my desk, and I loved it the minute I got it. It's very kid-centered, whimsical and full of invention. The next day, I reread it and loved it more.''

Feiffer says, ''When Paula called and said she was interested in the book, I felt as if I had just won the lottery.''

(Published: January 20, 2006)