Red

by Jan De Kinder

In this poignant story, a girl finds it funny when her classmate starts blushing on the school playground. Her friends laugh along with her, but one student takes the teasing too far. Torn between her sympathy for her classmate and her fear of the bully, the girl must make a difficult choice.

This heartfelt book will inspire readers to find the courage to take a stance against bullying and show compassion towards others.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Childrens, School, Fiction, International, Realistic Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the young girl-narrator of this poignant tale points out her classmate Tommy's blushes to their peers, she inadvertently sets in motion a bullying campaign that ends with Tommy being hurt on the playground by a particularly aggressive pupil named Paul. The girl realizes almost at once that her 'small' teasing is leading to more serious things, but once she has set the process in motion, she doesn't know how to stop it. When the teacher asks the children what has happened, the girl wants to tell her, but is afraid to be the first to speak, thereby making herself a target. Her eventual decision to stand up for what's right teaches her an important lesson, both about personal courage, and about the power of example...

Originally published in Flemish as Rood, of Waarom Pesten Niet Grappig Is - literally, "Red, or Why Bullying Is Not Funny" - this poignant Belgian picture-book addresses some important themes in a sensitive and believable fashion. I particularly appreciated that Jan de Kinder had his young protagonist progress from thinking that teasing is no big deal, to the realization that 'small' things can grow, especially in social situations in which group behavior is a potential problem. I also appreciated the fact that the girl learns that just as groups can function in a cruel and punitive fashion, when allied against vulnerable individuals, they can also work to support those doing right, when someone is courageous enough to stand up and show them a good example. The artwork here is very interesting, working skillfully to highlight the emotional significance of each scene. One page in particular, in which the girl finally stands up for what is right, is quite striking visually speaking, as the girl's raised hand and arm, indicating her decision to tell what she knows, is depicted in white, against a deep red background. Given that red has been used throughout to highlight the problematic nature of bullying - it sets off the whole situation, when the girl points out Tommy's blushes, and only grows in significance as a color, as the situation deteriorates - the use of white to interrupt the flow of the visual narrative is especially powerful.

Bold and powerful artwork is joined to a poignant and thought-provoking story here, making Red a book I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone looking for children's stories addressing themes of bullying, and of ethical behavior in general.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a simple story about a boy who blushes easily who is then bullied. A girl wants to stand up for him, but she's scared to be the only one who says anything. She raises her hand anyway. Other children join her in defending the boy. The girl and boy become friends. The color red is very well represented. I like this book. It was the favorite of the ones I read to Alena today. I want to look for more by De Kinder.

[Ria]

Grote aanrader. De pester, de toehoorder, de meeloper, degene die Rood wordt. En groen.
Strak en duidelijk verteld in tekst en beeld.
Een herziene uitgave uit 2025 ingezien. In enorm veel talen vertaald, enorm veel landen waar kinderen met dit boek kunnen kennismaken of waar het een handreiking is om dit universele onderwerp mee te vatten. Ook extra info en een wereldkaart, waarop duidelijk is te zien is waar eenzelfde wijze van pesten voorkomt / lijkt voor te komen volgens gevonden informatie.

[Braley Hale · Rating 5 out of 5]

The theme of this book is bullying. In the beginning of the book, the little girl makes fun of the new student because he would always blush and get really red. She starts to laugh at him because of this. Then she starts to feel guilty because he gets really angry, and I liked how the illustrations went along with the words and feelings. But then one student says some mean words and made him even more angry. The little girl who first said something about his blushing finally stood up for him. Therefore, this book is great to show to younger kids so they know how bullying can hurt someone’s feelings.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

It all starts over something silly, which is how most acts of bullying begin. The narrator, a little girl, points out Tommy's red cheeks, and their classmates tease him because he blushes so easily. Paul especially seems to enjoy pushing Tommy's buttons, and the narrator feels guilty for starting all this. When their teacher tries to find the source of the bullying, she ignores her fear of Paul and what the rest of her classmates will say, and tells the truth. The fact that she is the one who starts the bullying, even if unintentionally, and that she is also the one who eventually stops it serves as a tangible reminder that actions matter. I liked the description of Paul: "His tongue is as sharp as a knife. And his fist is as hard as a brick. He's twice as strong as me" (unpaged). Young readers will easily identify with this scenario and realize that it does take courage to stand up to a bully or to stand up for others. The reminder that everyone blushes at one time or another also indicates the silliness of the reason for Tommy being bullied. The illustrations, created with pencil, charcoal, ink, aquarelle, acrylic, and collage are lovely and fit the story quite well. This import from Belgium would certainly be useful in addressing how bullying begins and the different roles assumed by children during instances of bullying. It might start innocently enough with teasing, but look how quickly it can escalate.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young girl makes a teasing remark bout a boy who blushes, hence the "red", but others take her teasing to a mean level, until finally a bully gets rough. She does speak up first, scary as it is, and helps stop it, learns that others will back her, too. This book comes from Belgium, with what seems to be charcoal sketching, each page showing action on the playground, but especially wonderful expressions on the kids' faces. This will be a great book to start conversations about teasing, bullying, and being an ally.

[Carol Royce Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tommy is bullied by Paul and other classmates because whenever he's embarrassed his face turns redder and redder. One girl wants to stop the teasing, but does she have the boldness to stand against the class bully?

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one just didn't resonate with me.

[Emily Scheinman]

illustrations capture emotions beautifully

[Lacie Ortiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This children's book is about a little girl who is the narrator in this story. She starts off by pointing at a boy named Tommy and telling him that he's blushing. She runs to her friends and they begin to call him names that revolve around the color red. For example, tomato. Tommy tries to tell them to leave him alone, but the kids laugh and make it worse. The little girl realizes that it isn't funny anymore and she wants to end it. The teacher tried to find out how it started, and the girl confessed and told the truth that she had started it. While reading this book, I felt mad because I do not like seeing someone being bullied, whether in real life, on TV, in a book, magazine, etc. I've been bullied before when I was this age and it was the most hurtful thing that could ever happen to me, so this book definitely brought those feelings back. I was happy at the end when the girl confessed and made conversation with Tommy. I wish more people were like her. Hopefully this sends a message to kids to know that even if they were to bully, its good to confess the truth and make up for it (if they can). My favorite part of the book was when Tommy said, "Sometimes I go red" and the girl responds, "Who.... who doesn't?" I think this really brings the connection for students to learn that no one is ever alone even when people make it feel like it. It always feels good knowing someone agrees with you, especially coming from someone you thought made fun of you for it. I also like how the girl who started the bully, confessed to her mistake and then still tried to make it up to Tommy. I would use this book in a classroom for students to learn that its not okay to be a bully and bullying hurts peoples feelings. This book could also be a lesson for students to learn to report any kind of incident they see that could potentially be bullying. The illustrations did a good job emphasizing Tommy's reaction as he had pretty rosy cheeks throughout the story.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Red" by Jan De Kinder, is a thought-provoking story about a young boy that is constantly getting picked on for his red cheeks. Tommy, the young boy, frequently blushes and when a young girl, Lisa points this out, his cheeks only turn more read. Paul, who capitalizes on Lisa pointing out his big cheeks becomes the main character that picks on Tommy. He is big, strong, and intimidating, and most people do not have the courage to stand up to him. However, Lisa, a young girl in their class, has a different idea. After Paul brutally upsets Tommy, Lisa calls him out for his actions, and stands up for Tommy. Soon after she does this, another student stands up for Tommy too, and this chain reaction continues, until the bullies actions are no longer a secret. I really enjoyed reading this book since it felt empowering. At the end, you wanted to stand up for Tommy too, and that is all because of the author's exceptional work in this book. The author does a great job with the literary element of color in this book. The red not only captures the readers attention and describes the title of the book, it also allows the reader to feel the anger Tommy has about being bullied. The author does a great job using figurative language in the book as we see Lisa describing Paul using similes such as "tongue sharp as a knife" that bring the character to life. One criticism I have of this book is that it ends in an odd way. We don't really get to see how Tommy feels about the children standing up for him or how his life is impacted after this event. I think this would be interesting and beneficial for students to see. I would use this book in my classroom as a tool to persuade my students to be kind to one another and stand up for each other. I plan to have this on my classroom shelves one day for sure.

[Edward Creter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember being a kid, bullied often by others my age, to the point where my only true friends were those of my own imagination. I had no one to stand up for my defense, and as I grew, I decided that one day I would live the life of a nice person, one who would never visit the selfsame abuse as others did upon me. Red by Jan de Kinder is a reminder of what was, what shoulda been, and what can still be for the new generation of kids who train themselves in mind and spirit to be the inner heroes and heroines I strive to become in my own life. A young girl witnesses a small boy get red in the face being taunted by a bigger classmate in the school playground. She's a shy witness and doesn't know how to protect the younger boy alone, but soon she may find there's strength in numbers, and red is, as Stephen Crane once had it, the color of the badge of courage. Moms and dads, even teachers and therapists, should read this with kids as encouragement to face bullying head on and conquer fear inner and external. True fighting for what's right is not with fists or guns, but with the mind and heart, and this is what the color of red is all about: red is the color of a warrior's heart.
Five stars
Red ROCKS with heart!!!

[Yuyine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pourquoi avoir choisi de parler de cet album alors que j’en lis d’autres dont je ne parle pas? Pourquoi celui-ci en particulier? Parce que Rouge est porteur de plein de messages essentiels, parce qu’il a une puissance énorme au niveau visuel et textuel, parce que Rouge est un album nécessaire pour dire non à la violence. Il relate l’histoire d’une jeune fille qui, sans prendre conscience de l’importance de ce qu’elle dit dévoile aux autres une différence chez Arthur. Une différence que les autres vont alors remarquer et utiliser pour se moquer de lui. Une différence ici physique mais qui peut très bien se remplacer par une différence vestimentaire, de coutume, de religion, etc. Et lorsque tout s’emballe, et qu’elle aimerait revenir en arrière pour arrêter ce qui se déroule, elle se retrouve effrayée par une petite brute qui lui impose de se taire, sous peine d’en subir les conséquences. C’est un album qui [...]

Pour lire la suite de cette critique, rendez-vous sur yuyine.be !

[Kaitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Red, originally published in the United Kingdom, brings an easy to understand story of bullying to the United States. This story starts off with a girl making fun of a boy, Tommy, for being red in the face. As the story continues, other children begin to add in, until one boy take is too far. The reader gets to experience this situation through the girl’s eyes as she fights with herself of what she wants to do in regard to this bully. The images in this story are very well done and help add to the story. As Tommy begins to get redder because of the teasing, the pages begin to turn redder as well. When the situation is alleviated, the intense red images turn to a brighter, more natural look. I my future classes, I can use this book to start a conversation about bullying. The way that the book is set up, it is very child friendly which makes it easier for the students to understand the meaning behind the book.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Red is a children’s book that deals with bullying, and is an important one to have in your library. A young boy named Tommy is bullied for his red cheeks by many students in his class, but in particular Paul. Paul takes it to extremes until a young girl stands up for Tommy in the end. This sparks a friendship among the young girl and Tommy in this simple yet beautiful story. The artwork adds dramatic emotion to the text and the proliferation of the color red throughout the book adds to its impact. This book is important as it discusses two quite opposite ideas- bullying and compassion. Red teaches readers that bullying can be done by kids of all ages, genders and cultures. It gives an insight to the bully, the bullied and those that want to stand up for the bullied but don’t know how to approach the situation. It is a beautiful story about the bravery that it took for one little girl to stand up for her classmate.

[Mario Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another good book on bullying and I recommend it for teachers to read to their students. The story is about a boy named Tommy who gets teased for his cheeks turning red at the mention of something embarassing being said about him in public. It begins with a mere observation about his cheeks, and turns into a full-blown teasing target for others to point at. His female friend wants to stand up for him, but is too afraid of Paul, the biggest bully of them all, so she decides to keep quiet. I love how at the end she finally speaks up, and notices that others are speaking up with her, to the point where they all stand up to Paul and shame him away. I loved the message of strength in numbers doing positive things together, and I enjoyed the color-play of pages that depicted happy scenes with colorful backgrounds, as well as the sorrowful pictures with dark and gloomy colors.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to talk about the topic of bullying and not being a mute bystander. There are very few words in the book so each one is very important. The pictures will provide a great deal of discussion because they are both realistic and "images" at the same time. There is a lot to say about the different perspectives of the characters and what is actually happening in the story. This will be a book I'll read during the first week of school and probably again after the winter break. I see it as a real discussion starter which is what is needed.

[Li Sifan(Liona) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this book because its theme was bullying, and I also participated in a course called bullying this semester. What students should do when they receive bullying for some reason is the subject of this book. Tommy was bullied by the classmates because he was always blushing, and the name "red" was exactly why Tommy was bullied. Bullying in schools is an event that every country will have. However, in China, the bullying incident has not attracted the attention of teachers. I think this is the point that this book wants to express, and the setting of the picture highlights the theme.

[Asho · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will admit that I skimmed this more than actually read it. The cover illustration appealed to L and she checked it out at the library, but she and I never got around to reading it together because she ended up enjoying other library books more. But when I asked her if she wanted to read it before it had to be returned she informed me that she had already read it. I guess she must have read it with Dad. Seems like a story with a good lesson, and perhaps something to check out again when she gets older.

[Sonja Fosgate · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most interesting part of this book for me is that the girl who initially laughed at Tommy stammered. She may have been bullied by Paul herself at an earlier point, or felt like she risked making herself an even easier Target by standing up. There is so much to unpack in this little book, and it's appropriate for several age groups despite being a picture book. My daughter picked it because the title is her favorite color. However, we had a good discussion about bullying and being an advocate. Just a beautiful children's book all the way around.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this poignant story, a girl finds it funny when her classmate starts blushing on the school playground. Her friends laugh along with her, but one student takes the teasing too far. Torn between her sympathy for her classmate and her fear of the bully, the girl must make a difficult choice.

This heartfelt book will inspire readers to find the courage to take a stance against bullying and show compassion towards others.

[Elizabeth Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

About a girl that points out a boy blushes, then that boy is mocked. When the teacher asks what people know, the girl is afraid to speak up and defend him. She eventually does and others join her in standing up for the blushing boy.

Good book. Would use to talk about bullying, standing up for others, and kindness.

[Marc D. ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 estrellas.

La verdad es que, para ser un cuento, está escrito con frases tan sencillas y a la vez tan chocantes que, no importa si ya no soy una niña, de todos modos me llegaron directo al pecho y sentía que se me llenaban los ojos de lágrimas por momentos.

El Bullying jamás será divertido, sino todo lo contrario. Estremecedor.

[Logan Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an excellent book in my opinion. I thought it had a great message and I enjoyed the simplistic caligraphy style art that the illustrator uses. I feel this book may be a good book to read to a class that may be experiencing a bully problem. I could read it before class begins to encourage people to report incidents to teachers, and have a discussion of why that may be important.

[Ana LibrariAna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It started small when a boy blushed and a girl laughed. But when everybody laughed at him, it wasn't funny anymore. Especially when one boy took the teasing too far. But how do you stop bullying? Torn between being afraid to do something and feeling compassion for the boy, the girl has a big dilemma. Can she alone take a stand against a bully?

[Miss Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book about a boy who blushes red and then gets picked on. The twist is it's told from the perspective of a girl watching it happen and she doesn't know what to do. Should she stand up to the bully? Preschool and up.

[Mirs Ortega · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es queeeee no se me hizo muy claro, porque este una estaban explicando como estaba Tomás y de la nada empieza a hablar Maria sin siquiera decir habla Maria o poner hasta el final de loq ue dijo el personaje decir lo dijo Maria.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a girl who wrestles with whether to stand up to a bully who is being mean to one of her classmates. The boy is always blushing and is constantly made fun of for it and the girl knows that she should say something but is scared that the bully will retaliate.

[Tarawyn Baxter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story about finding the courage to stand up to a bully. I think it's important to address that it can be scary, and it is easier to be quiet and do nothing when you witness something, but that doing the right thing is best.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story does a great job of describing the inner turmoil when watching a bully, wanting to do something more than being a bystander, and fearing the repercussions of stepping up.