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The Red Book #2
Red Again
When a young boy discovers an abandoned book on the side of the road, it opens a window to another world just as real as his own. But what happens when the two worlds collide? This imaginative companion to the Caldecott Honor-winning The Red Book works in a continuous loop, showing us that stories never really end. While fans of the previous book will relish seeing the story play out, prior knowledge isn't necessary in order to understand or savor this one.
32 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 7, 2017
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111 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
February 25, 2018
5* art
5* story
Squirt "reads" this one to me, explaining what is happening on each page, and we both marvel a little, trying to figure out the trick of this story. How does it work? How could it be? You'll have to read it to know what I mean.
5* story
Squirt "reads" this one to me, explaining what is happening on each page, and we both marvel a little, trying to figure out the trick of this story. How does it work? How could it be? You'll have to read it to know what I mean.
November 30, 2019
In this follow-up/prequel to her Caldecott Honor-winning
The Red Book
, picture-book creator Barbara Lehman once again delivers an engaging wordless tale. In that earlier adventure, a young girl finds a book depicting a tropical island, and ends up traveling to visit the boy she sees on the island, who is (in the book the girl is reading) in turn looking at a book featuring the girl herself. Here we have a boy finding that same book, also seeing a tropical island depicted, with another child on that island, looking at a book depicting the boy in his city home. In this story, however, the child on the tropical island travels to visit the boy, rather than the other way around. At the end of the tale, the red book is lost, and then found by the little girl from Lehman's first story.
As with its predecessor, Red Again features lovely artwork, done by Lehman in watercolor, gouache and ink. The wintry background in the boy's city is quite appealing to me - I love wintry/snowy scenes! - and forms a nice contrast to the beauty of the tropical island in the red book. Although I doubt it was by design (although maybe it was?), there is also a lovely moment on one page when the boy's glasses bleed through the paper, and show up on the girl's face, in the boat near the tropical island. An interesting visual parallel to the idea that both children are seeing each other in their books, even if not intentional! I can't say I was as impressed with the actual storytelling here, as I was with the artwork, although I do (much as with the first book) like the storytelling idea, and the notion of parallel stories converging. Recommended to fans of The Red Book , or to those searching for picture-books about the power of books and reading.
As with its predecessor, Red Again features lovely artwork, done by Lehman in watercolor, gouache and ink. The wintry background in the boy's city is quite appealing to me - I love wintry/snowy scenes! - and forms a nice contrast to the beauty of the tropical island in the red book. Although I doubt it was by design (although maybe it was?), there is also a lovely moment on one page when the boy's glasses bleed through the paper, and show up on the girl's face, in the boat near the tropical island. An interesting visual parallel to the idea that both children are seeing each other in their books, even if not intentional! I can't say I was as impressed with the actual storytelling here, as I was with the artwork, although I do (much as with the first book) like the storytelling idea, and the notion of parallel stories converging. Recommended to fans of The Red Book , or to those searching for picture-books about the power of books and reading.
October 22, 2017
I've had to reread, well, reexaimine the illustrations, several times to try to make sense of the story. I don't think I could explain it to a youngster, but maybe a youngster can explain it to me. I need to get the original in my hand to see the connection.
February 15, 2018
This book is ideal for fans of the original book. I liked it, but, wasn't bowled over by it. I love words quite a bit, so wordless picture books just aren't my thing. I still add them to the mix now and then, but, they are just not for me.
If you don't like wordless books, this one isn't likely to win you over. However, if you DO like wordless books and liked the first book, you will enjoy this one as it's pretty similar.
If you don't like wordless books, this one isn't likely to win you over. However, if you DO like wordless books and liked the first book, you will enjoy this one as it's pretty similar.
January 11, 2018
It says no familiarity with the first book is necessary.... though I feel like it might be. The illustrations are interesting, and I do like the story, but I'm not sure how I'm supposed to interpret it. (Or, like many wordless books, am I supposed to interpret it in many ways?)
December 10, 2017
Ow my brain.
December 9, 2017
A fun sequel to The Red Book where two readers find themselves able to communicate with one another through the book(s) they are reading. Captivating wordless picture book!
December 29, 2018
This book could along with its cousin The Red Book could result in a book category of”patterns” all by themselves. Lehman has created two interwoven situations that interact with one another. Her drawings capture both details and emotion and wonder. I was surprised how engaged my r-year old grandchild was in the narrative and details.
January 4, 2018
Through the magic of a red book, two boys meet...two boys far away from each other.
This is a wordless book and a very magical story that piques the imagination. Loved it.
This is a wordless book and a very magical story that piques the imagination. Loved it.
December 13, 2017
A boy is riding his bike when he spies a red book on the sidewalk. He takes it home, climbs to the top story and reads about a boy fishing. The fishing boy spots a red book of his own and opens it to see a boy reading in the city.
Red Again tells a story with only illustrations, no words. It’s a great way for author Barbara Lehman to get across a message about the power books have to connect us in unexpected ways. Through books children are able to make friends and get to know each other.
Because there are no words, there is opportunity to make up a story to go with the illustrations, and children should have fun bringing their own imaginations into play. The story also continues with a girl finding a red book of her own and so the adventure goes on.
With its glossy red cover and simple watercolor illustrations, Red Again will have children and their parents flipping pages back and forth to see where the stories of the children in the book connect and wanting to see how the book ties them together.
The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Red Again tells a story with only illustrations, no words. It’s a great way for author Barbara Lehman to get across a message about the power books have to connect us in unexpected ways. Through books children are able to make friends and get to know each other.
Because there are no words, there is opportunity to make up a story to go with the illustrations, and children should have fun bringing their own imaginations into play. The story also continues with a girl finding a red book of her own and so the adventure goes on.
With its glossy red cover and simple watercolor illustrations, Red Again will have children and their parents flipping pages back and forth to see where the stories of the children in the book connect and wanting to see how the book ties them together.
The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
April 1, 2024
What is wonderful about a book with pretty pictures and no words at all? Zero authoring in order to give readers a clue about the characters in the story? Nothing other than the most obvious recognition of physical objects and cliches, that is.
Well what's so wonderful about all that? THE STORY NEVER ENDS
Long story short: If you're into free association, lavishly illustrated, you may adore this typically nonverbal book by Barbara Lehman.
FOR YOU, GOODREADER, DOES THIS ADD INTEREST?
According to the copy on the back inside jacket flap:
"RED AGAIN was inspired by her love of books, old youses with towers, serendipity, and friends from faraway places."
To me, this central concept is only slightly less random, and tedious, than the book itself.
RATING THIS BOOK
My policy is to rate a book in terms of the intended readers. Which would, most emphatically, NOT be me.
These would be highly visual folks. Also people who can't read words well yet, and may find it a mystery why anybody would bother learning word literacy.
On their behalf, sure, FIVE STARS.
Well what's so wonderful about all that? THE STORY NEVER ENDS
Long story short: If you're into free association, lavishly illustrated, you may adore this typically nonverbal book by Barbara Lehman.
FOR YOU, GOODREADER, DOES THIS ADD INTEREST?
According to the copy on the back inside jacket flap:
"RED AGAIN was inspired by her love of books, old youses with towers, serendipity, and friends from faraway places."
To me, this central concept is only slightly less random, and tedious, than the book itself.
RATING THIS BOOK
My policy is to rate a book in terms of the intended readers. Which would, most emphatically, NOT be me.
These would be highly visual folks. Also people who can't read words well yet, and may find it a mystery why anybody would bother learning word literacy.
On their behalf, sure, FIVE STARS.
Read
April 20, 2019Age Level: I think this book would be great for a k-2nd student. More specifically a kindergarten student, just because it is a wordless book. However, if there was a struggle reading in 2nd grade, this book would be great for them to be imaginative and story telling as well as developing literacy elements.
Summary: This book was about a boy who found a red book. He took the book back to his house, opened it to find another red book and a boy picked that book up. As both boys looked in the book, they could see themselves in the book that the other boy was holding. The boys went to go find each other and on their way, they dropped the books. At the end, you can see the red book makes it way to another boy who picks it up and will soon discover it's magic.
Review: I would use this book for kids that are having trouble reading. They can still pick up on the plot, characters, and more by just looking at the pictures and creating the story. This book would be used with young students who can not read, but still needs to meet state standards about reading and literacy.
Summary: This book was about a boy who found a red book. He took the book back to his house, opened it to find another red book and a boy picked that book up. As both boys looked in the book, they could see themselves in the book that the other boy was holding. The boys went to go find each other and on their way, they dropped the books. At the end, you can see the red book makes it way to another boy who picks it up and will soon discover it's magic.
Review: I would use this book for kids that are having trouble reading. They can still pick up on the plot, characters, and more by just looking at the pictures and creating the story. This book would be used with young students who can not read, but still needs to meet state standards about reading and literacy.
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April 1, 2018Minh Lê's "Best Picture Books of 2017" gave this an Honorable Mention for "Best Surprise."
I hadn't realized that it's a companion book, and although I agree that you don't need to have read Lehman's The Red Book in order to understand or enjoy this one, I will note that this is a wordless book you can't exactly rush through. I wasn't intending to rush through it, but I'm a sufficiently text-oriented person that wordless books are not great for me. When I read it again, intentionally slowly, and having read the GoodReads blurb, I understood what was happening and could appreciate it as a sweet story.
I'm not sure I'd call the ending a "surprise" exactly -- though possibly Lê was referring to the concept (the sort of twist that happens partway through)?
I hadn't realized that it's a companion book, and although I agree that you don't need to have read Lehman's The Red Book in order to understand or enjoy this one, I will note that this is a wordless book you can't exactly rush through. I wasn't intending to rush through it, but I'm a sufficiently text-oriented person that wordless books are not great for me. When I read it again, intentionally slowly, and having read the GoodReads blurb, I understood what was happening and could appreciate it as a sweet story.
I'm not sure I'd call the ending a "surprise" exactly -- though possibly Lê was referring to the concept (the sort of twist that happens partway through)?
June 25, 2018
Premise/plot: Does a book need words to tell a story? Red Again is a companion picture book to Barbara Lehman's The Red Book. Both, I believe, are wordless picture books. I have read Red Again. I have not--so far as I recall--read the Red Book.
In the book, a boy finds a red book in an unexpected place. The book--as it is read--leads him to the unexpected. It leads him to another reader--of the same book. The magic continues as the red book is lost and found yet again.
My thoughts: Typically my answer is "Yes, a book needs words to tell a story." But there are always exceptions to the rule. And to be clear the question does not have a 'right' or 'wrong' answer.
I think Red Again works for me because it is about the wonder and magic of books, of the reading experience. It is all about the act of reading and the delight it can bring you.
Text: 0 out of 0
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 3 out of 5
In the book, a boy finds a red book in an unexpected place. The book--as it is read--leads him to the unexpected. It leads him to another reader--of the same book. The magic continues as the red book is lost and found yet again.
My thoughts: Typically my answer is "Yes, a book needs words to tell a story." But there are always exceptions to the rule. And to be clear the question does not have a 'right' or 'wrong' answer.
I think Red Again works for me because it is about the wonder and magic of books, of the reading experience. It is all about the act of reading and the delight it can bring you.
Text: 0 out of 0
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 3 out of 5
February 22, 2018
This is Red Again by Barbara Lehman
Genre: Fiction, Wordless book
Target Audience: Elementary
Text-to-self: I think it is interesting how the kids find these books and it brings a connection between them. Books are something easy to build connections with people. I read a book called Reclaiming Surrendered Ground and then I had my older sisters read it and now my mom and it builds a common ground to have discussions.
Text-to-Text: I have another book that is a wordless book. It has a different color on each page and tells a life-saving story. It amazes me how much you can get just by looking at colors and pictures even with no words.
Text-to-World: Reading is something that connects people all over the world. All people read in some fashion and have different kinds of books. It is one way for all people to connect.
November 2017
Genre: Fiction, Wordless book
Target Audience: Elementary
Text-to-self: I think it is interesting how the kids find these books and it brings a connection between them. Books are something easy to build connections with people. I read a book called Reclaiming Surrendered Ground and then I had my older sisters read it and now my mom and it builds a common ground to have discussions.
Text-to-Text: I have another book that is a wordless book. It has a different color on each page and tells a life-saving story. It amazes me how much you can get just by looking at colors and pictures even with no words.
Text-to-World: Reading is something that connects people all over the world. All people read in some fashion and have different kinds of books. It is one way for all people to connect.
November 2017
November 20, 2017
Lehman is rapidly becoming the queen of the wordless book...
As she did with The Red Book (a 2005 Caldecott Honor Book), Lehman revisits the power that little red book has to transport the girl to another place in order to meet new friends. Her brilliance in retelling this wordless story is incredible. A side by side comparison shows congruence is some aspects: many similar scenes and characters from the first story. It brings us back to the start of the first book, making one wonder -- where does this story really begin?
Pair this pair (The Red Book and Red Again) with Zoom and Rezoom by Istvan Banyai for great vocabulary storytelling and writing exercises!
As she did with The Red Book (a 2005 Caldecott Honor Book), Lehman revisits the power that little red book has to transport the girl to another place in order to meet new friends. Her brilliance in retelling this wordless story is incredible. A side by side comparison shows congruence is some aspects: many similar scenes and characters from the first story. It brings us back to the start of the first book, making one wonder -- where does this story really begin?
Pair this pair (The Red Book and Red Again) with Zoom and Rezoom by Istvan Banyai for great vocabulary storytelling and writing exercises!
December 10, 2017
I opened a box to receive at my bookstore and saw this on top and I was like. Huh. This looks...different? And lo and behold, this was published in 2017. And so I devoured it (when I probably should have been working). And holy shit. It was. So good. Like. It falls within the same theme as the first, hence the title but. The ending??? Lehman did THAT and just messed with metafiction and intertextuality AGAIN. I'm. It's too much. These books are too much and I need MORE, please. I am such a huge fan of the Red Books, and I will not be stopped. They're just too good.
Review cross-listed here!
Review cross-listed here!
February 11, 2019
Genre: Wordless Picture Book
Awards: N/A
Audience: K-1 grade
A) I know that this book fits into this specific category because it does not have any words in it.
B) The illustrator used color to accurately tell this story. The colors used were unique shades of different colors, which contributes to how this book is unique from others. The colors helped the story be told in ways that words wouldn't have been able to.
C) I would have a young child read this book by themselves and then ask them to tell me what the story was about. I would use this to show picture comprehension.
D) What does the young boy find in the road? A red book.
Awards: N/A
Audience: K-1 grade
A) I know that this book fits into this specific category because it does not have any words in it.
B) The illustrator used color to accurately tell this story. The colors used were unique shades of different colors, which contributes to how this book is unique from others. The colors helped the story be told in ways that words wouldn't have been able to.
C) I would have a young child read this book by themselves and then ask them to tell me what the story was about. I would use this to show picture comprehension.
D) What does the young boy find in the road? A red book.
December 12, 2017
I haven’t read the book that came before this one, The Red Book, but now I definitely need to get ahold of it. This wordless picture book had me flipping back and forth through the pages as I was enthralled by the magic connection between the characters in the story. A child finds a red book on the ground and takes it home to read. But when he opens it, a wonderful journey begins. I can’t wait to read the first one to see where this red book came from!
March 14, 2018
A boy finds a red book on the sidewalk.
He takes it home and begins to read it. It's about a boy in a boat who finds a red book and begins to read it - about a boy in the city reading a book....
Our city boy looks through a spy glass and finds a boy in a boat and calls him over to show him the book -- which he loses before the boat boy arrives on shore.
In the meantime, the red book goes on another adventure....
He takes it home and begins to read it. It's about a boy in a boat who finds a red book and begins to read it - about a boy in the city reading a book....
Our city boy looks through a spy glass and finds a boy in a boat and calls him over to show him the book -- which he loses before the boat boy arrives on shore.
In the meantime, the red book goes on another adventure....
December 20, 2017
So adorable! This book invites comparisons to the magic of the Neverending Story - when Bastian realizes the book is talking about him, but it is light hearted, exciting, and not at all scary (No Artax moment. Not that I'm still scarred or anything....) This wordless book is a great lap read to allow your young ones to read to you. Lovely! - Miss Kelly
December 24, 2017
Red Again is a delight! I read it several times to set the story in my mind! It is a wordless picture book, yet the story is clear! Enjoy this mystery as two children, in far away lands, find a new friendship in each other through the power of books. And this is a never ending story! In the classroom, this would be such a fantastic story starter with many directions for the writer to go!
May 3, 2025
From the very start, with th play on words ("red again"..."read again") in the title to the bright red cover, this enchanting follow up to Barbara Lehman's classic wordless picture book once again shows the power of illustrations to tell a story, encourage entering a story in an interpretative framework.
November 30, 2017
So adorable! This book invites comparisons to the magic of the Neverending Story - when Bastian realizes the book is talking about him, but it is light hearted, exciting, and not at all scary. This wordless book is a great lap read to allow your young ones to read to you. Lovely!
February 6, 2018
Wordless book about a book that a kid finds, and see another kid in the book. Simultaneously, that kid finds a book and sees the first kid in his book. They become friends. Then the book moves on to the next person.
February 24, 2018
Love all the pictures and how the two characters connect over the red book although my inner librarian is having a heart attack after the book is lost at sea and thrown out of a window and into the snow...
April 11, 2018
Probably more like a 3.5... I had not read the original book prior to reading this. I still found it to be cute. I feel that the author did a good job illustrating how the children's curiosity drove them to find each other.
May 3, 2022
Another cute picture book! Love how the book brings two people together for an adventure. Seems it keeps passing on to a kid who needs a friend or just needs to get out. Love the concept. Wish it had been a bit longer though lol
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February 13, 2023This wordless picture book has an interesting premise - where two friends find each other in the pages of a red book that they have both found. The two books appear to be mirrors of each other. Nice illustrations.
November 19, 2023
Same idea as in The Red Book, with an extra touch making a full circle.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews