This Book Is Red

In this third installment of the Books That Drive Kids Crazy! series, an unseen narrator asserts that a yellow crown, green tie, and purple glasses are “all RED! And by the end of this book you will think they are red too.” In fact, the narrator argues that just about everything in the book is actually red—including a frog and penguin appearing in their spare graphics. The authors employ a variety of deductive arguments and logical fallacies: “Fergus is the same color as this apple. Apples are red. See! Fergus must be red.” The assertions can be not only aggravating, but feel personal, to boot: “When you were a baby you thought spoons were airplanes. You were wrong then and you’re wrong now!” A rather smug conclusion introduces the homonyms of “red” and “read.” Readers who talk back to the voice of the deceitful, know-it-all “grown-up” are interpreting the story just right. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)