Red

by Jan De Kinder

This picture book about bullying from the bystander’s perspective is narrated... read more

This picture book about bullying from the bystander’s perspective is narrated by a young girl who inadvertently starts a spiral of hurtful words and actions until she chooses to speak out. The girl thinks it’s funny that Tommy, a boy in her class, is blushing, but things quickly get out of control when she points it out to other kids. The girl’s simple observation quickly turns to teasing from everyone in the class. “We whisper color into Tommy’s cheeks.” Soon, she becomes uncomfortable with the teasing and taunting especially as she gradually becomes aware of Tommy’s discomfort. But she doesn’t know how to stop the taunting from her classmates, especially after a boy named Paul turns the taunting physical. Finally, she gets up the courage to respond to the teacher’s question about what happened, and other kids speak up as well. Descriptive language and understated art convincingly and evocatively capture the emotions of the children as well as the tension of the situation. (Ages 4–8)

© Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2016

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