Red Sled. written and illustrated by Lita Judge. 2011. 40p. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
Author/Illustrator Website: www.litajudge.com
Medium: pencil and watercolor
Awards and Honors: A Kirkus Best Children's Book of 2011
Audience: 1 and up
Annotation:
A group of woodland creatures find a sled outside a cabin and go for a midnight ride.
Personal Reaction:
Nearly wordless, save for the onomatopoeic sounds, Red Sled is a joyous romp of a book. When a bear comes upon a red sled leaning against a cabin he decides to take it out for a spin. As Bear sleds downhill under the full moon, he is joined by a host of woodland creatures including a moose, a raccoon, a porcupine, a rabbit, a possum and a mouse, who hoot and holler as they careen downhill. After they finally come to sudden stop, Bear returns the sled to the little cabin, where the next morning a bundled up child notices his tracks in the snow. I won't give away the ending, but there's another fun surprise at the end of the book. Fantastical, but never cartoonish; this book is pure magic.
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