Read: Red is Best

Red is Best. Stinson, Kathy. Illustrated by Robin Baird Lewis. Annikins Press.

The toddler in Kathy Stinson’s Red Is Best has a problem. As she explains on the opening page of this appealing picture book, “My mom doesn’t understand about red.” Red is Kelly’s favourite, and yet her mother is forever trying to convince her to wear other colours. Her mother’s reasons are uniformly practical–for example, “Your red mitts have holes in them”–but they fail to take into account the magical powers her pint-sized daughter knows her red things possess. Her brown mittens may be warmer, but her “red mitts make better snowballs.” Similarly, Kelly’s red stockings help her jump higher, her red boots take bigger steps, and her red pyjamas “keep the monsters away when I’m sleeping.” This charming story will be an instant favorite…. A delightful little book to read with youngsters.

Follow-Up Activities:

Crayons (tune: “If You’re Happy and You Know it”)
*Let each child select a crayon before singing this song (can also use crayon “clip art”)

If you have a crayon red, crayon red.
If you have a crayon red, crayon red.
If you have a crayon red, please put it on your head
If you have a crayon red, crayon red.

If you have a crayon blue…..
….please put it on your shoe….

If you have a crayon green….
….wave it high so it is seen….

If you have a crayon yellow….
….make it wiggle just like jello…
If you have a crayon black….
….hide it behind your back….

If you have a crayon brown….
….fly it up and fly it down….

If you have a crayon white….

….shake it left and shake it right….

Rainbow Pokey (tune: “The Hokey Pokey”)

* Cut lengths of crepe paper streamers in at least three different colours. Give each child a streamer. Lead youngsters in singing the song, changing the colour word or substituting the word “rainbow” for each repetition.

You put the [red streamer] in.
You put the [red streamer] out.
You put the [red streamer] in
And you shake it all about.
You shake your colour streamer(s)
‘cause you know without a doubt
[Red]’s what it’s all about!

The following website contains activity ideas as follow-ups to several of Kathy Stinson’s books, including “Red is Best”: http://www.kathystinson.com/downloads/activities-for-early-readers.pdf

The following website contains an outline for an entire unit on the colour “red” to use with young children Although some activities may be more preferable for preschool children, it contains more book ideas, crafts, songs, rhymes, etc.: http://www.kcls.org/bookstogrowon/red.pdf