Red Sled

Red Sled by Lita Judge
Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers
2011

     "Scrinch scrunch scrinch scrunch scrinch scrunch." A young boy makes his way through the snow back to a cabin in the woods, carrying his red sled.  He leaves the sled outside and as the night falls, a brown bear sees the sled and takes it for a ride.  While having a blast sledding, he's joined by a rabbit, a moose, raccoons, a possum, a porcupine and a mouse (that's my favorite illustration: the porcupine holding onto the moose's antlers and shouting "whoa").  The bear returns the sled at the end of the night, and in the morning the boy finds the bear's tracks next to the cabin.  As the snow begins to fall, he waits by the window, an eye on his red sled.
     Red Sled is practically wordless, except for some spots of onomatopoeias.  The joy of the book lies in its gorgeous illustrations.  There is a sense of adventure and fun reflected in the facial expressions of the animals.  Beautiful book to share during a snowy day.