Published by Neal Porter Books

Summary:  In this companion to Green and Blue, Laura Vaccaro Seeger creates the story of a lost fox told with the color red: “Dark red/light red/lost red/bright red” takes the fox from traveling through a forest to sleeping in a field to getting caught in the headlights of a blue pickup at a railroad crossing.  Die-cut pages give a glimpse of the red on the next page, as the fox discovers more man-made barriers. Rusty nails cut its paws, a chain link fence and brick wall block its path, and finally a raw steak lures it into a trap.  A neighbor girl finds the trap and frees the fox, who finds its way back to its family.  “Just red” shows an adult fox and a kit happily nuzzling one another.  Includes an author’s note.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Caldecott honoree Laura Seeger works her magic again, perfectly portraying a range of strong emotions through color, illustrations, and a few words.  Be sure to read the author’s note which links the human characters in all three of her books, and places this book in the context of our political times.  A Caldecott consideration for sure.

Cons:  It was an emotional roller coaster.