The Red Book

A young girl, making her way through a wintry urban landscape in this wordless picture-book, happens upon a red book lying in the snow, and, picking it up and bringing it with her to school, is soon engrossed in its pages, which depict a tropical island paradise. Imagine her surprise when the young boy in the book, sitting on a sandy beach and reading himself, is looking at an illustrations of her city, and of her! Determined to reach this new friend, made in a moment of magical connection, the girl buys a large bunch of balloons after school, and flies away to join him, leaving the red book behind, to be discovered anew...

The artwork here is just delightful, particularly the winter scenes (I have always loved winter landscapes, which show more never fail to enchant me with their sense of depth, mystery, and magic), and well worthy of the Caldecott Honor that they won. The story, such as it is, reminded me a bit of another wordless picture-book, David Wiesner's Flotsam, which also features a connection made to far-off people and places, through a found object, although I have to say that the sense of story in Wiesner's book is far stronger than here. I really enjoyed the initial premise, but somehow, once the girl seized her balloons and floated off, I was less thrilled. Somehow, it seemed like more of an abandonment of the story, than a conclusion to it, and stands in stark contrast, in my mind, to the similar tale in Arthur Yorinks and Richard Egielski's Hey, Al which also features a magical trip to a tropical paradise.

Still, I don't want to overstate the case. The Red Book is still an enjoyable book, and although I wouldn't put it in the rank of my favorites - either when it comes to wordless picture-books, or magical realist travel adventures - I still enjoyed it. show less

The Red Book captures the transportive power of literature and imagination in an eloquently minimal style: so minimal that it doesn't use words. At first glance it seems like a traditional picture book with its thick lines, simple shapes, and watercolor illustrations, but the content is actually much more post-modern. Little details such as the grid motif noticed in the windows, the map grid, and the square, graphic layout of the pages underline how smart and playful this little book is. I find it to be a delightfully accessible introduction to metafiction for both young and old readers. It is easy to see why it was awarded the Caldecott Honor.

Without overselling too terribly much, I have to say that The Red Book transcends language and culture in this fantastical tale of whimsy, friendship, and the power of books. Any explanation of the plot would simply ruin the reading of the powerful wordless book,as it must be enjoyed in the manner Barbara Lehmann intended. If you don't believe children's books are an art form, this book will at least provide a solid counter-argument if not change your mind entirely. I love the idea of using this book as a first day activity in a classroom, especially with the connection to viewing/visual representing aspects of language arts. This book is absolutely a must-read.

This is a wordless picture book about a boy on an island and a girl in a city. They each find a red book that shows pictures of the other child's world. I love wordless picture books because they give so much room for imagination.

A girl finds a red book on a snowy sidewalk. She opens it to find a story about a boy who finds a red book... and sees a girl in it who looks just like her. She flies off to meet the boy, but drops the book... which gets picked up by a guy on a bike.

Very clever, very cute... and a little bit creepy, in a good way.

Starred Review. Kindergarten-Grade 6–This perfectly eloquent wordless book tells the complex story of a reader who gets lost, literally, in a little book that has the magic to move her to another place. On her winter-gray walk to school, a young girl spies a book's red cover sticking out of a snowdrift and picks it up. During class, she opens her treasure and finds a series of square illustrations showing a map, then an island, then a beach, and finally a boy. He finds a red book buried in the sand, picks it up, opens it, and sees a sequence of city scenes that eventually zoom in on the girl. As the youngsters view one another through the pages of their respective volumes, they are at first surprised and then break into smiles. After show more school, the girl buys bunches of helium balloons and floats off into the sky, accidentally dropping her book along the way. It lands on the street below and through its pages readers see the girl reach her destination and greet her new friend, and it isn't long before another child picks up that magical red book. Done in watercolor, gouache, and ink, the simple, streamlined pictures are rife with invitations to peek inside, to investigate further, and–like a hall of mirrors–reflect, refract, repeat, and reveal. Lehman's story captures the magical possibility that exists every time readers open a book–if they allow it: they can leave the "real world" behind and, like the heroine, be transported by the helium of their imaginations show less

I see this story as a sort of wordless graphic novel for emerging readers in the vein of "Zoom." This story delved into my imagination and prodded me to think outside the book---er---box. Potential teachable moments include pen pal communication and using the words of children to tell the story. Great read aloud potential!