Walker Books ISBN: 9781406376968 £12.99
This is the story of a tantrum. After falling trying to reach the biscuit jar, discovering his sock is coming off and his pants are twisted, there is only one outcome for this toddler as the red mist descends- a roaring, head-banging meltdown! Luckily Mum suggests counting to ten along with her instead. Slowly the mood dissipates, there is some deep breathing, then a biscuit and finally a hug. Dunbar’s rhyming text begins with a quiet font which gradually becomes bolder and darker, while above the toddler a small red scribble grows until we reach a fabulous double page spread of giant “Red”s and spiky red crayon marks: the explosion! Even the endpapers show the change from a red scribble to a child’s drawing of red hearts. This amusing, reassuring text from an assured author-illustrator conveys a useful life lesson for those in Early Years.
Sue Barrett
