Summary – Tells the story of a little girl who feels neglected and lonely. She finds a magic red color and draws a door in her bedroom which leads to a magical world. She takes her crayon along and uses it to draw modes of transportation (a boat, hot air balloon, and a magic carpet). The adventures she goes on are amazing. Eventually it leads her to a new friend and a life that is much less lonely.

1. Bestseller’s Lists or Awards – A 2014 Caldecott Honor Book, a Junior Library Guild Selection, The New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Children’s Book Awards
2. Themes – Loneliness, Imagination, Magic, Friendship, Journey, Wonder
3. Age Range – 4 to 8 Year Olds
4. Author/Illustrator – Aaron Becker
5. Publisher – Candlewick Press an Imprint of Random House
6. Year Published – 2013
7. Original Retail Price – $15.99 for Hardcover Book
8. Number of Pages – 40 pages  (includes title page and body of the book)
9. Word Count – There are no words in this book.
10. Complexity of Story – The story is complex in its images. There is a lot of detail in each of the images and each reader can add their own flair to the story through their personal experiences.
11. P.O.V. – The story is told from the perspective of the young girl.
12. Dialogue? – There is no dialogue.
13. Rhyming? – There isn’t any rhyming.
14. What Makes it Special? – There are no words in the book, so it is up to the “reader” to input their own take on the book based on the images that are presented. In a way it forces the “reader” to think more critically and figure out what’s going on.
15. What I like about this book? – I love the images, they are absolutely stunning. They have so much detail and allow the “reader” to travel to those magical worlds with the little girl. My favorite part is when she initially enters the magical world through her bedroom. The forest will all the lights and lanterns is stunning.
    

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Thank you for reading my book reviews. The purpose of these reviews is to break down and analyze bestselling and award winning books. It is crucial for writers and illustrators, that wish to be published, to do homework on what books are currently being sold and garnering awards. I hope to figure out what makes these books special and what attributes they share. I hope you will find this review helpful.

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