Red Sled by Lita Judge
Posted by: Cindy Dobrez and Lynn Rutan
Cindy: Here in Michigan we aren’t getting any snow, so we have to read about it in books! Red Sled (Atheneum 2011) is a delightful nearly wordless wild ride. A young child props a red sled against the wall of a cabin and goes inside for the night. Along comes a bear who borrows the sled for a secret night ride. The watercolor spreads of the fun that ensues are fabulous (from many different perspectives) as other winter nighttime animals join the fun. Think The Mitten on a wild sled ride. By morning the sled is back in place and the child is left to puzzle about the footprints in the snow. I woke up this morning to finish this post to a rare-for-this-winter white covering of snow and I am tempted to go dig out my own sled!
Lynn: I love this joyous picture book too and can’t wait to try it out on the youngest member of the focus group. The book is almost wordless except for snow sound effects – footsteps on snow, the whooshing of the sled and the snow-packed end to the trip. The animals are large in scale with dark outlines that should work perfectly for the youngest readers. I’m in love with all the joy-riding animals and I WANT that red hat! Even if there isn’t much snow this year, snuggling in and reading this charming book is a terrific winter occupation.
