Red and Lulu

by Matt Tavares, Matt Tavares (Illustrator)

Overview

Separation and miles cannot keep a determined cardinal from his loved one in an ode to serendipity and belief that is destined to be a Christmas classic.

Red and Lulu make their nest in a particularly beautiful evergreen tree. It shades them in the hot months and keeps them cozy in the cold months, and once a year the people who live nearby string lights on their tree and sing a special song: O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree. But one day, something unthinkable happens, and Red and Lulu are separated. It will take a miracle for them to find each other again. Luckily, it’s just the season for miracles. . . . From Matt Tavares comes a heart-tugging story combining the cheer of Christmas, the magic of New York City, and the real meaning of the holiday season: how important it is to be surrounded by love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763677336
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	09/19/2017
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.50(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Matt Tavares is the author-illustrator of Crossing Niagara, Henry Aaron’s Dream, There Goes Ted Williams, Becoming Babe Ruth, and Growing Up Pedro, as well as Zachary’s Ball, Oliver’s Game, and Mudball. He is the illustrator of ’Twas the Night Before Christmas, Over the River and Through the Wood, Lady Liberty by Doreen Rappaport, The Gingerbread Pirates by Kristin Kladstrup, and Jubilee! by Alicia Potter. Matt Tavares lives in Ogunquit, Maine.

Editorial Reviews

Red's journey to find his mate makes for gorgeous sweeping vistas and heightened emotion…Tavares lets the holiday note waft lightly, bringing equal cheer to the celebration of pair-bonding and New York City.

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

★ 09/04/2017
Red and Lulu, a pair of cardinals, make their home in “the branches of a mighty evergreen” outside a suburban house: “It was the perfect place to live, all year long.” But one day, Red returns to find that the tree has been cut down and placed on a truck, with Lulu trapped inside. In lush watercolor and gouache paintings, Tavares (Lighter than Air) captures Red’s frantic search for Lulu, following the truck to New York City; dramatic wordless spreads show the tiny bird flitting past the George Washington Bridge and Rockefeller Center. Finally, Red spots his tree in its place of honor at Rockefeller Center, “more sparkly than ever, but definitely theirs.” The birds’ reunion is poignant and well earned, and their decision to stay in the city after the holidays poignantly shows how seeming misfortune can lead to unexpected and rewarding opportunities. Ages 3–7. Agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Tavares (‘Crossing Niagara’) lets the holiday note waft lightly, bringing equal cheer to the celebration of pair-bonding and New York City.
—The New York Times Book Review

A really engaging visual reading experience – moving from overviews to close ups, vignettes to double page spreads. It’s a very dynamic read – dramatic and tender by turns. My kind of visual storytelling!
—David Wiesner

Tavares (Lighter than Air) captures Red’s frantic search for Lulu, following the truck to New York City...The birds’ reunion is poignant and well earned, and their decision to stay in the city after the holidays poignantly shows how seeming misfortune can lead to unexpected and rewarding opportunities.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Tavares’s realistic watercolor and gouache paintings make the most of dramatic birds’-eye perspectives, while the story provides a child-friendly backstory for an annual NYC holiday attraction.
—The Horn Book

Tavares’s detailed watercolor-and-gouache illustrations expertly capture the seasonal atmosphere...A lovely New York story.
—School Library Journal

…a joyful and affecting picture book written and illustrated by Matt Tavares.
—The Wall Street Journal

With its bird’s-eye views, this wonderfully imagined, gorgeously illustrated ode to the world-famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree will have young travelers begging Mom and Dad for a trip to the Big Apple.
—USA Today

Gorgeous artwork, with multiple wordless-pages, advances the tale. Best of all, kids will cheer at the dramatic moment when Red finds Lulu.
—Washington Post

A Christmas book you should probably put on your permanent shelf...This is one of the best of the year.
—Betsy Bird, A Fuse #8 Production

A touching, beautifully illustrated story.
—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

10/01/2017
PreS-Gr 2—Surrounded by lights and singing, Christmas is by far the favorite season for Red and Lulu, a pair of cardinals living year-round in a big beautiful evergreen tree. Tragedy strikes late one autumn when the tree is cut down and hauled away with Lulu in it. Red chases the truck as far as he can, ending up lost and alone in New York City. When snow starts to fall, he seeks shelter by following the sound of a familiar song, "O Christmas Tree." He finds Lulu and his tree illuminated in Rockefeller Center, surrounded by a sea of happy people. A brief history of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree tradition, which started in 1931, is explained in an afterword. Tavares's detailed watercolor-and-gouache illustrations expertly capture the seasonal atmosphere, including the tension one feels as Red and Lulu are separated from each other. The happy reunion and resolution (including the fact that the tree is recycled and used to build homes for families in need and that the avian couple moves to Central Park) should reassure even the most sensitive of readers. VERDICT A lovely New York story for most holiday collections.—Madeline J Bryant, Los Angeles Public Library

School Library Journal

2017-08-21
A pair of cardinals is separated and then reunited when their tree home is moved to New York City to serve as the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. The male cardinal, Red, and his female partner, Lulu, enjoy their home in a huge evergreen tree located in the front yard of a small house in a pleasant neighborhood. When the tree is cut down and hauled away on a truck, Lulu is still inside the tree. Red follows the truck into the city but loses sight of it and gets lost. The birds are reunited when Red finds the tree transformed with colored lights and serving as the Christmas tree in a complex of city buildings. When the tree is removed after Christmas, the birds find a new home in a nearby park. Each following Christmas, the pair visit the new tree erected in the same location. Attractive illustrations effectively handle some difficult challenges of dimension and perspective and create a glowing, magical atmosphere for the snowy Christmas trees. The original owners of the tree are a multiracial family with two children; the father is African-American and the mother is white. The family is in the background in the early pages, reappearing again skating on the rink at Rockefeller Center with their tree in the background. A touching, beautifully illustrated story of greatest interest to those in the New York City area. (author's note) (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews