book cover

Red Red Red

by Polly Dunbar

Interest age: 2 to 4

Published by Walker Books, 2019

  • Picture books

About this book

Every toddler feels frustrated, sometimes – they scream, they shout, they see RED. 

This is a funny and relatable picture book for parents and carers, who know all too well how little things can escalate in the life of a toddler or preschooler – from wanting a biscuit to having a full-scale meltdown. 

The red scrawls throughout are a brilliantly visual way to demonstrate this, as you and your child watch them get bigger and bigger as you turn the pages. 

The book ends on a high, though. Mum talks her little one through some deep breathing as they count their way up to the number ten. The final page is an adorable cuddle between mum and child, with the red scribbles now turned into little red hearts. 

This is the perfect picture book story to share with little ones who can sometimes feel overwhelmed by their emotions. With its gentle rhyme, nicely spaced text and gorgeous illustrations, it's another hit from acclaimed author-illustrator Polly Dunbar.

About the author

Polly Dunbar studied illustration at Brighton Art School and now lives and works in London. Author and illustrator of Penguin, Dog Blue and Flyaway Katie, she thinks that colour is a brilliant way to cheer yourself up and whenever she's feeling grey, she puts on her best pink frock and paints! Polly is the daughter of the distinguished author Joyce Dunbar who she collaborated with on the picture book Shoe Baby. She is also the illustrator of My Dad's a Birdman, written by David Almond, and Here's a Little Poem, an anthology of poems for very young children. Polly was one of the Best New Illustrators 2008 and BookTrust's fourth writer in residence. Polly lives and works in Brighton.

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