Rarest Kind of Best

The Red Book

by Barbara Lehman

Houghton Mifflin, 2004

32 pp.

Age: 4 +

Interests: wordless books, mystery, travel, books

Also by this author: Museum Trip, Rainstorm, Trainstop, The Secret Box

To Read Next: Flotsam, other puzzling books

On a snowy city street a girl finds a red book. Inside is a map of an island. On the island is a boy, looking at a picture in a red book. A picture of a girl in the city looking at a picture of a boy on an island in a red book. (You get the idea.)

A mind-bender of a story, all the more charming for having no words. The girl decides to travel to the island to visit the boy, and in a magical ending, she does. And a new person finds the red book…

A really wonderful book. Such a simple idea, and simply drawn, and yet so profound and satisfying. The look on a child’s face when they realize what’s going on is priceless.

Good for 4 year olds, but older children will love it too. I’ll certainly be looking up Barbara Lehman’s other books next.

(This title available at amazon.com)