Excellently illustrated with a very good depiction of bullying. Tommy was terribly bullied. Whenever this would occur, his cheeks became bright red. When he said "Leave Me Alone," it only meant that the bullying increased. Tommy got more quiet and Paul, the worst bullier, got louder.

And, it only took one brave girl, who on the play ground said "This Isn't Funny Any More!!!" "I want this stop now!"
But, the brave girl grew quiet as well, especially when Tommy was pushed. And then, the pushing wasn't funny. Others noticed and were concerned for Tommy.

When the teacher asked if anyone saw the incident when Tommy was harmed, the shy, but brave girl raised her hand. Then, others raised their hands as well. Everyone who saw what happened, raised their hand. Now, The bullyier was upset, and needed to be more agressive.

Growling, first in the air, he let's Tommy know he means to hurt him again. But now, now only the brave girl, but others rush to Tommy's aid as well. Standing up to Paul and fighting for Tommy, the small, brave group wins! Their fight for justice and what is right won over the bullying.

Now, Tommy's face isn't read, but Paul's face is green, and he is no longer laughing. And the brave girl who acknowledged that she stammers, indicates she wants to play ball with Tommy. And, Tommy's face isn't red anymore! ( )

One day a classmates' taunting turns into bullying on the playground. Others are afraid to speak up until one student raises her hand and empowers other to tell the truth about what happened. ( )

This is a great book with a powerful message behind it. Bullying is a serious issue that needs to be addressed and stopped immediately when seen or heard. We should never become too comfortable and stop discussing bullying because we might not think it is occurring. We live in a tough world and I think this topic needs to always be addressed with children. This book was so inspirational and I would definitely like to have it in my classroom. Such a simple but impressive book.

A story about an incident with a boy on play ground that turns to bullying. Later all his classmates say they didn't see what happened, staying quiet till a girl speaks up about what happened. I would have this in my classroom due to the message being to speak up.

Summary: this story follows a boy being bullied and the boy being a bully gets ostracized when they find out he is the bully.
Reflection: I love how this touches on a real life experience of bullying. I love how it touches on how bullying is bad and how we should not bully people. As someone who was bullied it really hurts my heart how people still bullying other kids to this day. ( )

A harmless playground incident turns into a bullying situation for a young boy. One of his classmates goes from being a bystander to an ally, standing with him against the bully.

The narrator notices a peer's cheeks blushing, setting off an act of bullying that involves several of the children in their class. The girl quickly realizes her mistake, but does not know how to stop the leading bully, with his tongue "as sharp as a knife" and his fist "as hard as a brick," so she stays silent. In an act of courage, the narrator raises her hand to report the bullying after the teacher asks what happened, encouraging her classmates to speak up, too. The smart use of color and dramatic illustrations do an excellent job of depicting the theme of the story. While it isn't the most moving piece of children's literature I've read, I do think it handles the subject matter well. ( )

This is a great book to share when you talk about bullying in your classroom. I love the way the little girl in the book realizes that it isn't funny anymore and she wants it to stop. I think children will totally identify with that feeling.

This is the story of a boy blushing at a play ground. The other kids make fun of him, and the teachers finds out, and tries to figure what happened. ( )

Red is a book that revolves around the theme of bullying. A little girl makes fun of a new student because his cheeks were red. However, other classmates join in and later the bullying becomes too much. The little girl feels guilty for starting all this, but doesn't have the courage to stand up for the boy until the end. This book is a great story to teach elementary school students about bullying, teasing, and friendship.

Tommy blushes while playing soccer with a young girl (the narrator of the story) and then all the children around him point it out and giggle which only makes things worse. Tommy asks the other children to stop making fun of him, but they keep going, Paul in particular, and Tommy gets brighter and quieter. The narrator then feels bad because she thinks Tommy is nice and wants the other kids to stop, however, she is afraid to stand up to Paul. A teacher intervenes and asks what happened but the little girl is too afraid to say anything. She decides to raise her hand to say what happened to stand up for Tommy and a bunch of other students join her. Tommy and the girl play soccer again, this time the girl is blushing.

The narrator teases Tommy because he blushes easily, and then everyone starts teasing him, including Paul, who gets more and more aggressive. The narrator feels bad and wants to stop the harassment, but Paul continues to escalate. When the teacher gets involved, the narrator is ashamed and is too afraid of Paul to speak up, but finally she raises her hand to say what happened, and then other students do, too. Later when Paul turns his anger on her for telling on him, the other students stand by her and Paul backs down. Then she and Tommy play soccer together. ( )

A young boy is bullied when his cheeks turn red. As the bullying continues, his peers watch on quietly. When the teacher finally confronts the bully, she asks the class if anyone has witnessed the bullying, and one brave girl admits that she has seen it. The bullying ceases, and everyone shows kindness towards each other. This book is important to read to children because it can open a conversation about how bullying is not okay. This also can be the start of encouraging children to speak up if they see a peer getting bullied.

The young girl who finally spoke up is the character that developed throughout the book. Readers watch her as she stands to the side, and doesn't say anything when her friend is bullied. She struggles with speaking up, but finally decides that the bullying needs to stop. She gathers the courage to speak up, and saves her friend from their bully. ( )

Bullying is, unfortunately, a common thing among children. Actually, it is a common thing among people. Jan De Kinder creates a situation where a young boy is being teased about his blushing cheeks. When the teacher intervenes, at first, no one will speak up. Eventually, the girl who's point of view the story is told from, has the courage to be the first to raise her hand. She is followed by other students who wish to answer the teacher truthfully. This book shows the important of sticking up for what is right, and coming together as a group to be stronger. ( )

"Red" is a story translated from Belgian author Jan De Kinder about a boy who is bullied on the school playground. Meanwhile, a girl watching wants to help out but is too scared to. I really enjoyed how the book portrayed what bullying feels like for the victim and how difficult it can be for someone to take a stand against the bully. Overall, "Red" is a very relatable book for a lot of children. The art was interesting. For most of the book, it emphasized the color red, but then switched to emphasizing the color green towards the end. The story is simple and easy to read, but is powerful. I know I'll be using this book in my classroom to try to stop bullying. "Red" is definitely a book for all elementary school children.

Red is a amazing book about a young boy who blushes easily and gets bullied throughout the book for it. However, one young girl finds the strength to finally stand up and admits she saw what happened. The illustrations are amazing in this book at depicting the emotions of each character, including the fear of standing up for herself and the isolation that Tommy feels. Overall, I think this book would be an amazing addition to my classroom. ( )

When the young girl-narrator of this poignant tale points out her classmate Tommy's blushes to their peers, she inadvertently sets in motion a bullying campaign that ends with Tommy being hurt on the playground by a particularly aggressive pupil named Paul. The girl realizes almost at once that her 'small' teasing is leading to more serious things, but once she has set the process in motion, she doesn't know how to stop it. When the teacher asks the children what has happened, the girl wants to tell her, but is afraid to be the first to speak, thereby making herself a target. Her eventual decision to stand up for what's right teaches her an important lesson, both about personal courage, and about the power of example...

Originally published in Flemish as Rood, of Waarom Pesten Niet Grappig Is - literally, "Red, or Why Bullying Is Not Funny" - this poignant Belgian picture-book addresses some important themes in a sensitive and believable fashion. I particularly appreciated that Jan de Kinder had his young protagonist progress from thinking that teasing is no big deal, to the realization that 'small' things can grow, especially in social situations in which group behavior is a potential problem. I also appreciated the fact that the girl learns that just as groups can function in a cruel and punitive fashion, when allied against vulnerable individuals, they can also work to support those doing right, when someone is courageous enough to stand up and show them a good example. The artwork here is very interesting, working skillfully to highlight the emotional significance of each scene. One page in particular, in which the girl finally stands up for what is right, is quite striking visually speaking, as the girl's raised hand and arm, indicating her decision to tell what she knows, is depicted in white, against a deep red background. Given that red has been used throughout to highlight the problematic nature of bullying - it sets off the whole situation, when the girl points out Tommy's blushes, and only grows in significance as a color, as the situation deteriorates - the use of white to interrupt the flow of the visual narrative is especially powerful.

Bold and powerful artwork is joined to a poignant and thought-provoking story here, making Red a book I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone looking for children's stories addressing themes of bullying, and of ethical behavior in general. ( )

This book tells a story that depicts gossip and bullying, and the harm that it can cause. The story wraps up by illustrating how taking a stand can help to change what is happening and it can even start a relationship with a new person you maybe didn't know much about before. I think this book is powerful for two reasons. One it shows the pain that bullying can cause and how a single voice can mean something, so it's important to say something no matter how hard it is. Second, it is a book that has been translated, which means that a teacher could bring other versions of the story into the classroom to support multiple languages. Genre - Picture Book.

In this book the main character is a young girl who begins to “harmlessly” tease her classmate, Tommy about how easily he blushes. This teasing begins to spread to her other classmates and eventually to a boy named Paul. Paul then relentlessly bullies Tommy until the young girl realizes it has gone to far. Paul then pushes Tommy and eventually the girl builds up the courage to tell her teacher what happened. This unites the class against Paul and teaches the young girl a valuable lesson. I feel this book almost perfectly illustrates to children how easily bullying can get out of hand. Not only this but also how easy bullying can be stopped once you have the courage to stand up for what is right. This would be a great book to read and discuss with a class of almost any age. ( )

Summary: When a little girl points out that Tommy is blushing, she doesn't realize it will escalate into a full-scale bullying by another boy. When the teacher asks what happened, everyone is quiet at first, until the girl gets up the courage to tell the truth.

A book about a boy who blushes, which leads a girl to point it out, which leads a bully to take things to far, which leads to difficult decisions. Luckily, the right ones are made.

In this book, a young girl makes fun of a boy who is blushing. Soon all of her classmates join in, including the school bully. The girl starts to feel bad about making fun of her classmates blush and has to deal with the aftermath of her teasing.

I thought this book was very powerful. The theme of this book is to stand up for what's right, even if it means going against the crowd. The illustrations were beautiful and unique. This story would be really good to read to young students so they ca learn what effect teasing can have on a classmate. I would highly recommend this book.

I thought this was a beautiful book. We all often see when someone is being bullied but we are afraid to call out the bully. This book challenges how we need to step up even if it is hard.

This was such a sweet story, with very interesting art (a mixture of charcoal, acrylics, and collage). There's a very strong message about bullying and standing up for other people despite being afraid, which I think students will really respond to.

As an elementary school counselor, I found this book very insightful and perfect for classroom lessons on bullying. "Red" tells the story of a little boy who blushes when he's nervous. As he gets teased by the characters in the story, we hear the thoughts of one girl who is wrestling with being a bystander. When she speaks up, we see the power behind her voice. The illustrations in the story are simple, yet powerful. I am looking forward to reading and discussing this story with my students! ( )