01/12/2015
Belgian writer De Kinder watches as a child agonizes about whether to intervene when a bully torments her schoolmate. Tommy blushes easily, especially when people mention it, and the unnamed narrator starts the trouble herself: “You’re... you’re blushing,” she says, pointing. Others join in: “Do it again! Do it again!” they taunt. De Kinder’s brushed ink and gouache artwork makes plain the mean-spiritedness of their whispering. But then a boy named Paul pushes the teasing into genuine cruelty, laughing loudly and pushing Tommy. “I want Paul to stop right now,” the girl thinks in desperation as the schoolyard wall and the buildings beyond take on the red of Tommy’s cheeks. “I’m scared of Paul,” she confesses. “What I want to do is scream really loud.... And yell that it has to stop. But I stay silent.” When a teacher appears, the girl finds the courage to raise her hand (“Did anyone see what happened?”), an action that prods others to join her. “I’m not all on my own,” she realizes. A useful opening into discussions about taking a stand when others do wrong. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)
USBBY 2015 Outstanding International BookNotable Books for a Global Society 2016CCBCChoices 2016Booklist (STARRED review) "From the proliferation of red throughout this book, we know visually it has strong emotional content, and the cover, with a dispirited boy being gawked at by others, adds to its impact. . . . While the text is sparse (and in red), as the teasing builds to a crescendo, the distinctive pencil, charcoal, ink, acrylic, and collage art dramatically shows events spin out of control. . . . [A] thoughtful, accessible story."
Publishers Weekly "A useful opening into discussions about taking a stand when others do wrong."
Kirkus Reviews "The beguiling artwork and pulsing heart at the story's center provide much food-for-thought — not to mention an opportunity for children to put themselves into the shoes of the bystander of a cruel act, which surely happens on playgrounds more than adults would care to admit. Thoughtful and beautifully illustrated, it's definitely one to look for."
Children's Illustration (blog) "An elegant story about the bravery of everyday life on the playground."
Jen Robinson's Book Page "Red will be validating for young readers in early elementary school. It would make a fine classroom read aloud. . . . De Kinder's illustrations are simply gorgeous."Children’s Literature “This story brings all-too-familiar situations to young readers and opens spaces for important conversations.”
03/01/2015
K-Gr 2—Originally from Belgium, this quiet yet powerful book addresses bullying. When a little girl notices her classmate blushing, her initial amusement turns to regret as a wink, a grin, and a laugh to the others make things much worse. Though Tommy repeatedly asks to be left alone, the children, especially Paul, continue to laugh and jeer at him. "Paul stares at me. 'Got something to say?' he gives Tommy a push. I shrug my shoulders and bite my lip. I don't say anything." The little girl shares her internal struggle to stand up for her friend versus her fear of the bully, whose "tongue is as sharp as a knife. And…fist is as hard as a brick." Yet, when the teacher questions the group, her fear is ultimately overpowered by her conscience. A wordless spread of angry, guilty, and ashamed faces all awash in red depicts the little girl in full color, bravely raising her hand. To her surprise, other hands follow—"Everyone saw what happened. We all talk at once. I can breathe again. I'm not all on my own." Though the bully confronts her later, the other children rally to her side. Using a palette of primarily red, black, and cream, the appealing cartoon illustrations are rendered in pencil, charcoal, ink, aquarelle, acrylic, and collage. VERDICT The tasteful, sensitive treatment of an important topic is sure to spark class discussion.—Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools
2015-01-10
A girl moves from instigator to bystander to hero in this anti-bullying picture book originally published in Belgium.Neither text nor art (rendered in a limited, multimedia palette of neutral tones, black and red) reveals why Tommy blushes, but the narrator notices and thinks it's funny that his cheeks are red, and she laughingly points at him. This exacerbates his embarrassment, which only grows as the girl laughs and whispers about his red cheeks with other children. A boy named Paul is particularly vicious in his taunting, and the narrator soon grows uncomfortable with how she and the others are behaving, especially as they crowd around and Paul pushes Tommy. Fearful about becoming Paul's next target, the girl stays quiet even when the teacher asks the class if anyone saw what happened. Repeated entreaties work, however, and she finally raises her hand, spurring other classmates to join her. The narrative skips over how the teacher handles the situation and instead shifts to show Paul confronting the narrator on the playground. His bullying ways are thwarted when other children stand with her, and his face grows green as he skulks away. The story then concludes, not with Paul learning a lesson, but with the girl and Tommy reconciled and playing soccer. Expressive art outshines the text, which, while heartfelt, gets weighed down by message. Moral trumps story here. (Picture book. 5-8)
