When you think about it, it makes perfect sense for a wordless picture book to have a front cover without words. But it would make things challenging for booksellers and librarians. Maybe it’s with these people in mind that the title for this book, The Red Book, appears, but only on its spine.
The mind games continue – for this is a book about a book – a red book. On the first pages, we discover the snowy world of a little girl who stumbles upon a red book. She opens the book to discover a map, a map which reveals a little boy, in a very different setting. The little boy also stumbles upon a red book. How are these characters able to view each other through the pages of their books? And are we, the readers, part of the story too?
The red book in this tale becomes – literally – a window into another world. The message is strong and poignant, and it reminds the reader that a book has the power to transport us – that every time we open a book, we invite a magical journey and discovery.
Barabara Lehman’s beautiful production – a square format with a beautifully glossy dust jacket – was a Caldecott Honour book in the US, yet is relatively hard to find in Australian bookstores. We have just a few copies in the We Heart Books store, and we’re sure they will disappear fast…
Actually, there is a bit of a red theme in our store at the moment – which would have nothing to do with red being my favourite colour…
The Red Shoes by Eleri Glass (illustrated by Ashley Spires) is a gorgeous hardcover from Canadian independent publisher Simply Read Books. With a narrative that reads like poetry, and illustrations which evoke a time gone by, this is the perfect book for pint-sized shoe-aholics or, better still, to be given by a shoe-loving mum or aunty!
The inclusion of The Red Balloon hardly needs justifying. (And there’s more about it in Lou’s post here.) Based on stills from the famous short film by Albert Lamorisse, this book faithfully recreates the spectacular and atmospheric scenes of Pascal running through the streets of Paris following his balloon. A true classic.
Ruby’s Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges and stunningly illustrated by Australian Sophie Blackall is perhaps my favourite of all these red books. The protagonist in this tale is a girl called Ruby, named because she loves the colour
red. Set in China in years gone by, Ruby is unusual for her time: she is determined to continue learning at school. Based on a true story, this is a moving tale of a little girl’s determination, courage and independence, and one that beautifully evokes Chinese history and culture.
And today I spied in the bookshop The little red fish – just continuing on the theme.
We have The red book at home.
The Red Book looks gorgeous – Fred loves a wordless picture book. I might have to buy it for her.