If the goal in The Mitten is to fit as many creatures as possible inside, the mission of Red Sled is to pile as many creatures as possible on top!
The sounds of crunching snow ("scrinch scrunch scrinch scrunch...."), the utterance of discovery ("Hrmmm?") and the screams of a thrill ride ("Rooooeeeeoeoee") provide the sole accompaniment to Lita Judge's (One Thousand Tracings) story told in pictures. A red sled leans against a snow-covered cabin with a light in the window and a wisp of smoke from the chimney. A bear finds the sled ("Hrmmm?") and tucks it under its paw. A rabbit peeks at the bear from the bottom of the page, and in the next illustration, bear and rabbit glide downhill in a thrill ride. Other animal onlookers join in, and Judge plays with size and color contrast to heighten the comedy. At one point, a moose balances the bear on its antlers while protecting the rabbit between its hoofed legs, and the larger animals' brown fur pops against the full moon. In another funny scene, a porcupine grabs two points on the moose's antlers, and its quills give the appearance of a person's hair standing on end. Bear and rabbit kindly return the red sled to its rightful owner (a red-capped child who, up to now, has been glimpsed only on the opening pages). A closing shot shows that not only is it nice to share, it's also a whole lot more fun. Like the red sled's riders, young readers will be pleading, "Again!" --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness