Happy Belated Book Birthday Red Sled
Lita Judge has created a lovely, lovely winter almost-wordless picture book that is also a tribute to friendship and imagination. The Red Sled should have a place on the picture book shelf firmly between Ezra Jack Keats' classic The Snowy Day and Jan Brett's version of The Mitten.
The plot is simple: After a day of sledding (or sliding as I've always called it), a child leaves the sled propped against the cabin. A bear spies it and borrows it for a slide of his own. As more and more animals pile on, the ride becomes wilder and wilder, all with accompanying sound effects that are the only words. The ending is fitting, with a twist that could lead to lovely discussions, whether you are sharing this book with a child in your lap or a group at story hour.
The art is lovely, dominated by a soft blue that suggests December to those familiar with the character of the different winter months, but brightened here and there with red, not only in the sled, but in the child's hat. The animals are drawn expressively and in ways in keeping with their actual beings: check out the way the possum and mouse tails curl around the moose antlers.
The Red Sled has already received well-deserved starred reviews from Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Publisher's Weekly.
I found out about this book from Melissa Stewart, who shared not only news of its publication, but of the health challenges Lita Judge has been facing. You can read a bit about those challenges and about the genesis of this book on Judge's own blog. When I read about Lita's situation on the New England SCBWI group, I requested an e-galley from Melissa, and I am so glad I did. This is a picture book I'll be looking at again and again--and giving to any young children I know, because it is beautiful celebration of winter fun, and when you live in the North Country, you need all the ways to celebrate winter fun you can get.