Wordless Book

Book Title: The Red Book	Author:  Barbara Lehman
Illustrator: Barbara Lehman	Awards Caldecott
Book Type:  Picture	Approx. Reading Level:  preK-K
Age of Content Appropriateness: Kindergarten on up depending on how it is used.	Date Published:  2004
Genre and Topic: Wordless graphic story- more like a comic book with the framed images	Personal Rating of the Book:  5
ISBN: (13 or 10 digit)978-0-618-42858-8

Book Summary

• “The Red Book” is so mysterious.  Just look at the cover and it makes you wonder where that child is heading.  The cover art shows the child mid-run heading right into the book!  Well, that is just the first hint that something magical is going to happen in the book.  This girl who is on her way to school, dressed in heavy winter gear, finds a book in the snow on a busy city street.  She picks up the book and is on her way to an adventure.   She sees a map of an island when she opens it.  Meanwhile, on an island somewhere, a boy finds a book eerily similar to the one the girl has and what do you know? He can see the city when he opens it.  The book becomes a portal through which the two children meet and as the girl is finding her way to the island the book drops from her hand and is later found by a little boy.  The ending leaves us wondering who he will meet and where he will end up. 

How can I use this book in the class?

• This book would be wonderful to spark a written account of what a student thinks is going on.  There is room for unique interpretation. 
• Students could also write or draw the sequel, what happens to the boy at the end of the story? Who did he meet?  I think this could be a great art project for older students. 
• Not only are there patterns to follow in the multiple creations of the snowman but there is the pattern of the weather, warming up and getting cold, and the seasons could be discussed too as they return again and again. 
• Kindergarten and Preschool Activities Blog- this site has a great list of activities that will relate to the book. 

Vocabulary

 Island, pages 7-8- A small area of land surrounded by water.
Imagination- throughout- the ability to create something in your mind

6 + 1 Trait
Presentation
A book without words needs to succeed based on the merit of the illustrations.  The simple drawings done in a comic book format give the reader the experience of looking through a window, much like the girl is looking through the book as a window to the boy on the island.  The choice to use these frames was an important presentation choice the author made to show us books can be windows into an imaginary world where kids can pop through a book and go from a cold, snowy city to a warm, sandy beach.

Concerns with this book
Teachers should be familiar with the flow of the story before presenting it to a class so they can guide the students through.