Red Again

by Barbara Lehman

Overview

When a young boy discovers an abandoned book on the side of the road, it opens a window to another world just as real as his own. But what happens when the two worlds collide? This imaginative companion to the Caldecott Honor–winning The Red Book works in a continuous loop, showing us that stories never really end. While fans of the previous book will relish seeing the story play out, prior knowledge isn’t necessary in order to understand or savor this one.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544818590
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	11/07/2017
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	402,053
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Barbara Lehman has illustrated many books for children, including The Red Book, which was awarded the Caldecott Honor in 2005. Born in Chicago, Barbara attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, where she earned a BFA in communication design. A full-time illustrator, Barbara says, “Books and art have always held the strongest attraction for me. I have always felt drawn to ‘commercial art’ because of its ability to reach many people. I like the idea of being part of the media in a meaningful and thoughtful way, especially with children as the audience.” She lives in the Hudson Valley in upstate New York. Visit her website at barbaralehmanbooks.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 09/11/2017
The Red Book, Lehman’s Caldecott Honor–winning wordless picture book, imagined a red volume that connected two children across a great distance. On the final page of that story, a child on a bicycle finds the red book. Lehman’s sequel starts at that moment. The boy races home with his treasure and opens it to a page with a map of islands; an image of a girl in a dinghy comes into view, as through a telescope. She has a red book, too; two consecutive images show them holding their books up delightedly with the image of the other child displayed in a kind of hall-of-mirrors moment. The girl sets out to meet the boy, and both drop their books on the way in their haste. One copy is picked up by the girl who starred in the first story. Is it an endless loop? Who will find the books next? Lehman gives readers the satisfaction of learning more about the original story while leaving them with more to ponder. Together, the two volumes form a pleasing and perplexing Möbius strip of a story. Ages 4–7. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

? "Lehman’s watercolor, gouache, and ink illustrations are clear, warm and inviting. Varying panel sizes and perspectives pace the story, drawing attention to the narrative’s subtle complexity. The almost-all-red cover echoes the characters’ own red books, affording readers an opportunity to ponder the story’s mystery and their potential connections to it." —The Horn Book, starred review "This title stands alone but pairing it with the first work makes it all the more magical, particularly because the end brings the story into a breathtaking circle... Whether being explored for pleasure or for academic purposes, this title will add value to any library collection, especially ones that have copies of its predecessor." –School Library Journal, starred review

"Lehman gives readers the satisfaction of learning more about the original story while leaving them with more to ponder. Together, the two volumes form a pleasing and perplexing Möbius strip of a story." –Publishers Weekly, starred review

"... A twist ending that will blow many young minds (and some not-so-young ones, as well). " –Booklist, starred review "A peaceful, wordless adventure that, as the final frames hint, will continue after it's closed." —Kirkus —

From the Publisher

★ 09/01/2017
K-Gr 3—Picking up exactly where The Red Book leaves off, the boy who finds the mysterious red book at the end of that story takes it home to examine it in this one. Wordless panels show him looking through the pages at the islands that fans of the first tale will recognize, zooming in until he sees a girl fishing in a boat and finding the red book in the water. When she opens the book, she finds pages revealing the boy in his room. Illustrating the power of a book to connect, she uses her intuition (and a baguette and a seagull) to find her way out of the narrative and to her new friend's door who, in his excitement, drops the red book. The smart, clean art with smooth bold lines offers so much to observe and puzzle through while telling the complex story effortlessly without the use of text. This title stands alone but pairing it with the first work makes it all the more magical, particularly because the end brings the story into a breathtaking circle. The final page showing a girl finding the lost red book in the snow is from the beginning of the previous volume, deepening the intrigue around the red book and its time sequence while providing many opportunities for discussion and creative thinking. VERDICT Whether being explored for pleasure or for academic purposes, this title will add value to any library collection, especially ones that have copies of its predecessor.—Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA

School Library Journal