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11th out of 57 books
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The Red Book
This book is about a book. A magical red book without any words. When you turn the pages yous never met is waiting. And as with the best of books, at the conclusion of the story, the journey is not over.
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
September 27th 2004
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
(first published 2004)
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I love the striking cover of this wordless picture book, a small child running through a bright red negative space (although the placement of the medal makes him appear to be fleeing from the moon). Maybe this image set the bar too high, as I found the book itself disappointing. The idea is fascinating if not totally original: finding a book in which one sees someone else reading the same book and looking back. However, I felt as if Lehman had this idea and then dashed something off without givi...more
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In this superb wordless picture book, the experiences of both the girl and boy allow them to encounter feelings of travel at exactly the same time. The book reflects the idea that people around the world share, feel, and engage in the same types of adventure and wonder. In this way The Red Book merges realism with fantasy by bringing together a phenomenon where a book serves as a type of seeing-glass vehicle into another world. The book has a magical element of finding, questing, and imagining. ...more
The Red Book by Barbara Lehman is a wordless fantasy book about a red book found by a girl who discovers through the book a faraway land with a new friend that she is transported to meet.
After finding a red book in a snowdrift, a girl looks though it at school, discovering a picture of a boy on a faraway island who is looking at her city and her through the window of her clasroom. The girl heads off, buys all the ballons from a street vendor, and floats skyward, dropping the red bo...more
After finding a red book in a snowdrift, a girl looks though it at school, discovering a picture of a boy on a faraway island who is looking at her city and her through the window of her clasroom. The girl heads off, buys all the ballons from a street vendor, and floats skyward, dropping the red bo...more
1. The genre: Wordless
2. Summary of the content: The Red Book is a wordless book about a little girl who gets lost in the book.
a. The Red Book is a great wordless book and the theme is something we all can relate to , a book so good that you just want to get lost in the story.
b. The Red Book was a little boring for me . I did not quite understand the flow of the pictures in the book . I loved the illustrations in the and the ...more
1. Picture Books-Wordless
2. Two young boys in different parts of the world both discover a red book. When they begin to explore the book, they realize they are looking at each other. The city boy ties balloons to himself to fly away to meet his book buddy who lives on an island. They both lose their red books, and the adventure will begin again for two others.
3a. The plot of the story.
3b. In the beginning, I enjoyed the book ,until about halfway through it. The plot...more
2. Two young boys in different parts of the world both discover a red book. When they begin to explore the book, they realize they are looking at each other. The city boy ties balloons to himself to fly away to meet his book buddy who lives on an island. They both lose their red books, and the adventure will begin again for two others.
3a. The plot of the story.
3b. In the beginning, I enjoyed the book ,until about halfway through it. The plot...more
Published in 2004 by Houghton Mifflin.
Interest Level: K-4th Grade
This is a wordless picture book that has defined illustrations where a young girl finds a red book. After her discovery of this red book she finds that there is something different about this book and eventually becomes part of the book. The various perspectives that are included in this picture book as well as the well-defined illustrations and characters provide a simplistic feeling while exploring a more complex...more
Interest Level: K-4th Grade
This is a wordless picture book that has defined illustrations where a young girl finds a red book. After her discovery of this red book she finds that there is something different about this book and eventually becomes part of the book. The various perspectives that are included in this picture book as well as the well-defined illustrations and characters provide a simplistic feeling while exploring a more complex...more
This is a simply yet eloquently drawn wordless book delivering a charming fantasy, undoubtedly influenced by David Wiesner but with a quite different artistic style. A girl is walking to school when she spies in the snow a red-covered book, which she recovers and carries in her book bag. During class she opens it and discovers that it is a portal to another book, just discovered by a boy on a beach. She is mesmerized by this scene until class ends and she straggles out behind her classmates. ...more
Recommended ages 4-8
From Booklist
PreS-Gr. 2. In this wordless mind trip for tots, Lehman develops a satisfying fantasy in a series of panels framed with thick white borders. The effect is of peering through portals, an experience shared by the characters as they independently stumble across enchanted red books that provide them with a videophone-like connection. Though wordless picture books often seem to be the province of fine artists indulging in high-concept braggadocio (as in Is...more
From Booklist
PreS-Gr. 2. In this wordless mind trip for tots, Lehman develops a satisfying fantasy in a series of panels framed with thick white borders. The effect is of peering through portals, an experience shared by the characters as they independently stumble across enchanted red books that provide them with a videophone-like connection. Though wordless picture books often seem to be the province of fine artists indulging in high-concept braggadocio (as in Is...more
In The Red Book, a little girl sees a red book in a snowpile and takes it with her to school. When she opens it up and starts turning the pages, the girl finds herself looking at a boy who is looking at a book with her in it. They realize at the same time that they are seeing into each other's lives. The girl decides to set off in search of her new friend using helium-filled balloons. As she is flying away she drops her book. Soon the little boy can no longer see her in his book and st...more
Genre: Picture book, Wordless
Summary: This book is a magical picture book about two children, a boy and a girl, who are in different locations but they find similar red books. They are able to see one another through the pictures in these books and later, they become connected by dreamlike travels over the world. And the cycle continues….
Critique:
a. Reading this wordless picture 2005 Caldecott Honor book, this book’s greatest and most understandable strength are th...more
Summary: This book is a magical picture book about two children, a boy and a girl, who are in different locations but they find similar red books. They are able to see one another through the pictures in these books and later, they become connected by dreamlike travels over the world. And the cycle continues….
Critique:
a. Reading this wordless picture 2005 Caldecott Honor book, this book’s greatest and most understandable strength are th...more
Approximate Interest Level/Reading Level: Pre/Early Elementary
Format: Picture Book/Wordless
Awards: ALA Notable Books for Children (2005), Caldecott Honor (2005), Horn Book Fanfare (2004)
A girl who lives in the city finds a red book, opening it up to discover it connects her to another boy who finds the same red book on the island where he lives. The pages of these magical books then serve as a window to see into each others lives.
In this comple...more
Format: Picture Book/Wordless
Awards: ALA Notable Books for Children (2005), Caldecott Honor (2005), Horn Book Fanfare (2004)
A girl who lives in the city finds a red book, opening it up to discover it connects her to another boy who finds the same red book on the island where he lives. The pages of these magical books then serve as a window to see into each others lives.
In this comple...more
Erin Ramai
rated it
The Red Book is appropriate for readers in preschool through grade 2. It received a Caldecott Honor Award in 2005.
In this wordless picture book, a young girl from the city takes a journey to visit an island boy via a red book that they both own and acts as their window to the other’s world. The island boy experiences the cold weather of the city when the girl flies to his island using a large bundle of balloons. As she flies toward him, she drops her copy of the book, which is dis...more
In this wordless picture book, a young girl from the city takes a journey to visit an island boy via a red book that they both own and acts as their window to the other’s world. The island boy experiences the cold weather of the city when the girl flies to his island using a large bundle of balloons. As she flies toward him, she drops her copy of the book, which is dis...more
Age of Readership:
5 years and up
Genre:
Wordless picture book
Diversity:
islander dweller/city-dweller
Illustrations:
Obviously, the most important part of this book. Each page delivers an illustrations that tells the story to perfection. The girl is lonely by being consistently the only person in the first pictures. She is set apart by the being in the back row with no one beside her in another illustration.
...more
5 years and up
Genre:
Wordless picture book
Diversity:
islander dweller/city-dweller
Illustrations:
Obviously, the most important part of this book. Each page delivers an illustrations that tells the story to perfection. The girl is lonely by being consistently the only person in the first pictures. She is set apart by the being in the back row with no one beside her in another illustration.
...more
Barbara Lehman’s, The Red Book is a Caldacott Honor Book. The bright red cover, has no title or author, just a boy running in the corner with a red book in his hand. The cover itself lures readers in to see what this simple little book could possibly be about. Lehman’s wordless story begins with a child walking the city streets in the dead of winter. He discovers a red book in the snow and brings it to school. During class, the boy opens the book and sees a map of tropical islands. The pag...more
Quietly working through a wordless picture book with a child can be a gentle storytelling experience without the pressure of the child having to know the words to tell the story. The Red Book by Barbara Lehman is a story of a red book found by a little girl who lives in a city. The magic happens when she opens the book, finds a picture of an island where a little boy is picking up a red book and opens it to pictures of a city. The girl travels to the island, dropping the book along the way, me...more
Catherine
rated it
Published 2004.
This is an adorable story told completely in pictures. A child discovers a book in the snow on the way to school. When the child looks at the wordless-book-within-a-wordless-book she sees the story of another child finding the same book in the sand. I don't want to reveal the connection between these two children or what happens next...you'll have to see it to believe it!
Themes include connections people have to books and connections people have to each ...more
This is an adorable story told completely in pictures. A child discovers a book in the snow on the way to school. When the child looks at the wordless-book-within-a-wordless-book she sees the story of another child finding the same book in the sand. I don't want to reveal the connection between these two children or what happens next...you'll have to see it to believe it!
Themes include connections people have to books and connections people have to each ...more
Rebecca Sessions
added it
This book was about a little girl who finds a book one day on the way to school. She picks it up and finds that it is a travel book. You then, along with the little girl, imagine different locations around the world and go "on vacation" to these places. This was a wordless book, but still enjoyable. I have found, after reading this, that a book doesn't necessarily have to have words to make it a story. In fact, I think I may decide to get more wordless books, as it is a great brid...more
A wonderful, wordless picture book, for all ages really. There isn't even a title on the cover! With simple illustrations offer lots of opportunities to infer what the main character is thinking as he finds a red book, seemingly abandoned in the snow. Soon we have fallen into the world of books and imagination right along with the characters in the book. An adventurous ballon trip lends drama and provides a surprising climax to the story. The illustrations make use of a "picture within...more
This is a wordless book by Barbra Lehman about a young girl who finds a red book buried in the snow. Inside the book is a map of a beach or island where a boy also finds the red book buried in the sand. As the boy and girl read the book they both realize they are reading about each other. The girl decides she must meet the boy and with the help of some helium balloons she sails away where she meets the boy, but along the way she drops the red book for another child to find for a new adventure. ...more
This is a wordless picture book for kids of all ages. A young girl finds a magical red book that reveals another world where a boy has the same book and can see her as well. The girl finds a way to join her friend at the end of the book and leaves you wondering. It is a delightful story with simple yet telling colorful illustrations.
This book is a good choice for introducing the genre of magical fantasy to young readers. It offers children an opportunity to discuss the story as t...more
This book is a good choice for introducing the genre of magical fantasy to young readers. It offers children an opportunity to discuss the story as t...more
This book is a perspective book where a girl finds a red book on the sidewalk, and in the book she sees a boy on a tropical island. They are able to communicate through this book and in the end the book is found by yet another child. It is similar to Flotsam in the concept of the images being transmitted through an object and the pictures withing pictures. It is also similar to Zoom with the bright colors, the wordless aspect, and the picture within a picture as well. Great for summarizing, ...more
Lisa Vegan
rated it
I was left surprisingly unmoved and unimpressed.
I love books, and books about books, and I’ve liked some of this author’s other wordless picture books.
But here her illustrations aren’t that special, though I did enjoy the girl and boy looking at each other, and I did love the balloons.
The wordless story is sparse and very short and simple. The idea of it is great. David Wiesner wowed me with a similar seeming story in his book Flotsam, but this book paled in c...more
I love books, and books about books, and I’ve liked some of this author’s other wordless picture books.
But here her illustrations aren’t that special, though I did enjoy the girl and boy looking at each other, and I did love the balloons.
The wordless story is sparse and very short and simple. The idea of it is great. David Wiesner wowed me with a similar seeming story in his book Flotsam, but this book paled in c...more
This is a wonderful book, filled with imagination and wonder. The infinite images of one child peering into the world of another child who is peering right back into her world and so on and so on are amazing and creative. We really enjoyed "reading" this book together, narrating the tale ourselves as we look through the pictures. To a small extent, this book reminded us of the book Flotsam because of the magical and amazing way in which the children are connected.
Wow! This book was not what I expected. I never would have guessed the ending. This wordless picture book tells the story of a girl who finds a red on her way to school. One of the pages of the book is a map of an island. On the island is a boy looking at a red book. They realize that they are looking at pictures of each other. On the way home from school, the girl buys a bunch of balloons. The ballons float her away from the city and to the island. As she floats away from the city, the...more
Abigail
rated it
Recommends it for:
Fans of Wordless Picture-Books, ala Wiesner's 'Flotsam'
Shelves:
picture-books
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 ...more
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Genre: Wordless Narrative
Ages: 4-8
Awards: Caldecott Honor Book
This book is unique in that it is completely wordless. The story opens with a girl walking in a snowy city setting. In the snow, she finds the red book. Inside her red book, there is a map of islands. On one island, there is a boy walking. The boy finds a red book on the beach. Inside his red book is a picture of the snowy city. They recognize that they are staring at each other through the book. After ...more
Ages: 4-8
Awards: Caldecott Honor Book
This book is unique in that it is completely wordless. The story opens with a girl walking in a snowy city setting. In the snow, she finds the red book. Inside her red book, there is a map of islands. On one island, there is a boy walking. The boy finds a red book on the beach. Inside his red book is a picture of the snowy city. They recognize that they are staring at each other through the book. After ...more
A young girl in the city finds a red book sticking out of a snowbank in Lehman's Caldecott Honor award-winning wordless picture book. Celebrating the power of books to take us out of our everyday lives and carry us away to other places and other worlds, Lehman's simple line drawings convey her story perfectly. This book will appeal to children ages four and up."
SPL Summary: "A book about a book, a magical red book, without any words, and the friendship that develops aro...more
SPL Summary: "A book about a book, a magical red book, without any words, and the friendship that develops aro...more
Lisa Rathbun
added it
Wonderful picture book with no words envisioning the delight of finding a book and then stepping into that book into a new adventure in its pages. Very sweet. The happy little boy on the cover running with his book clutched under his arm is adorable.
(For me, though, this doesn't come close to Weisner's "Free Fall", "The Three Pigs", and "Flotsam". His books are more intricate and detailed, more complicated; however, "The Red Book" is better for a younge...more
(For me, though, this doesn't come close to Weisner's "Free Fall", "The Three Pigs", and "Flotsam". His books are more intricate and detailed, more complicated; however, "The Red Book" is better for a younge...more
This book was hard for me to understand because it's a wordless picture. I understand part of the story but in the middle I can't discern the story. If I can't understand the story then I probably shouldn't assign the reading. But I want to get challenged, I can show the pictures to the students and ask them to interpret it. There's no set rules saying that there's only one interpretation for each book. So, maybe I could use this book and get the student's creativity going!
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Barbara Lehman is an illustrator and author of children's books.
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