Red and Green and Blue and White

by Lee Wind, Paul O. Zelinsky (Illustrator)

Overview

On a block dressed up in Red and Green
one house shone Blue and White.

It's a holiday season that both Isaac, whose family is Jewish, and Teresa, whose family is Christian, have looked forward to for months! They've been counting the days, playing in the snow, making cookies, drawing (Teresa) and writing poems (Isaac). They enjoy all the things they share, as well as the things that make them different.

But when Isaac's window is smashed in the middle of the night, it seems like maybe not everyone appreciates "difference."

Inspired by a true story, this is a tale of a community that banded together to spread light.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646142521
Publisher:	Levine Querido
Publication date:	10/19/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	59 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Lee Wind, M.Ed. is the author of the MG nonfiction No Way, They Were Gay?: Hidden Lives and Secret Loves and the YA novel Queer as a Five-Dollar Bill. Lee works for IBPA and SCBWI, and lives in Los Angeles with his husband and their teenage daughter, where he writes stories to empower kids and teens to change the world. Visit him online at www.leewind.org.
Paul O. Zelinsky has become recognized as one of the most inventive artists in the field of children's literature. Among his many honors are the 1998 Caldecott Medal for Rapunzel, as well as Caldecott Honors for three other books: Hansel and Gretel (1985), Rumpelstiltskin (1987), and Swamp Angel (1995). In 2018, Paul was given the Carle Honor Award for Illustration. He lives with his wife in Brooklyn, New York. They have two grown daughters.

Editorial Reviews

Affecting. This moving tribute to religious pluralism will uplift children.” - Wall Street Journal ,


[STAR]  “Vibrant and compassionate. [A] spirited picture book that models allyship.”-Shelf-Awareness (starred),


“The true meaning of the holiday season shines here.” -Kirkus Reviews,


[STAR] “A strong addition to holiday stories, one that can be reread and rediscovered many times and whose theme of community support and friendship is appropriate year-round.” -School Library Connection (starred),


[STAR] “Caldecott Medalist Zelinsky’s vibrant digital art has the bold, rough-hewn textures of scratch block, and dramatic compositions that recall sweeping cinematography emphasize fraught emotions in this moving historical tale that encourages taking a stand.”-Publishers Weekly (starred),


[STAR] “Captures the celebratory joys of the season. ”-The Horn Book (starred),


“[A] moving tale about community solidarity.”-Foreword Reviews,


“Vibrant and compassionate...Wind and Zelinsky's offering gives young readers an inspirational, empathy-building story about honoring your identity and standing up against hate. Stronger together, indeed.” -Shelf-Awareness,


"Wind’s pitch-perfect text is elegantly spare, accessible on many levels, and lyrical enough to invite multiple read-alouds. Caldecott Medalist Paul O. Zelinsky’s gorgeous art captures the magic of holiday lights in the night, and expresses the story’s shifting moods - from playful, to briefly worrying, to heartwarming. RED AND GREEN AND BLUE AND WHITE is an important, inspiring story about the power of love to overcome hate, a timely and inclusive take on the Chanukah theme of light overcoming darkness, and a strong contender for the Sydney Taylor Book Award.”-Sydney Taylor Schmooze ,


"Red and Green and Blue and White is a wonderful story about standing up for what is right, supporting others and respecting differences. Excellent illustrations complement the text. This is an important book for parents to read with their children and for teachers to share with their students.”-Glenn Perrett, Syndicated Columnist, Metroland Media,


[STAR] “A powerful and inspiring example of community, friendship, respect, and love.”-School Library Journal (starred),


"This lovely picture book deals with the difficult topic of antisemitism beautifully, in an accessible and age appropriate way.” -Association of Jewish Libraries, Holiday Highlight

“Affecting. This moving tribute to religious pluralism will uplift children.” - Wall Street Journal ,


“We come together in strength. It's a message the world can use, throughout the year.” -The New York Times,


“A spectacular book.”-Julie Danielson, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast,

From the Publisher

2021-07-30
Kids teach a valuable lesson about community spirit.

A city block is ablaze with red and green lights for Christmas; one house glows blue and white for Hanukkah. This is where Isaac, a Jewish boy, lives, across the street from best friend Teresa, excitedly preparing for Christmas. They love lighting up their homes in holiday colors. After an antisemitic bigot smashes a window in Isaac’s house, Isaac relights the menorah the next night, knowing if his family doesn’t, it means hiding their Jewishness, which doesn’t “feel right.” Artistic Teresa supports Isaac by drawing a menorah, inscribed to her friend, and placing the picture in her window. What occurs subsequently is a remarkable demonstration of community solidarity for Isaac and his family from everyone, including the media. Galvanized into defiant action against hate, thousands of townspeople display menorahs in windows in residences and public buildings. This quiet, uplifting tale is inspired by an incident that occurred in Billings, Montana, in 1993. Readers will feel heartened at children’s power to influence others to stand up for justice and defeat vile prejudice. The colorful illustrations, rendered digitally with brushes of the artist’s devising, resemble scratch art. Isaac and Teresa are White, and there is some racial diversity among the townspeople; one child is depicted in a wheelchair. An author’s note provides information about the actual event.

The true meaning of the holiday season shines here. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews