Little Red Rolls Away by Linda Whalen,

illustrated by Jennifer E. Morris

c.2017, Sleeping Bear Press

$16.99/$20.99 Canada

32 pages

 

Your daddy says you’re really going places. He says the sky’s the limit for you. You’ll go to college, big cities, maybe even around the world. The truth is, though, you’d rather just stay home, where everything’s the same and nothing changes. You really don’t want to go anywhere but, as in the new book Little Red Rolls Away by Linda Whalen, illustrated by Jennifer E. Morris, it’ll be okay if you do. It was a bright, sunny, early morning, and the little red barn had just woken up.

But something was wrong; it was way too quiet. Where was Rooster? He should have been crowing. Where was Piglet? He was usually squealing at that time. Where was Bossy Cow? She always moos first thing each day. There were no sounds from Little Red’s friends, and that was odd.

There was nothing and nobody inside Little Red, either: no animals, no hay, not a thing, but surrounding him were big trucks and “metal monsters” that made growling noises. Somebody slid something beneath Red and oops! – he was lifted into the air and set on some wheels.

Very slowly, he started down the road, and OUCH! It wasn’t fun. There were other cows in other fields he passed on his journey. He saw corn and other farmers, but not his friends. And then he spied a tugboat, which was really not what Red wanted to see.

He didn’t want to be on a tugboat, either, but there he was, floating down a river – then he was on a street, in a parade. Imagine that! Everybody waved as Little Red passed by buildings and through town, through woods, over bridges, past sky-high loop-de-loops and animals he’d never seen before.

He wondered if he’d ever see his friends again. Little Red was sad. And then he heard happy music. He was lifted off the wheels –right side, left side, lowered to the ground – and it wasn’t so bad. It wasn’t the farm. It wasn’t a barnyard. No, it was better. And then Little Red realized something was missing.

Stuff happens. That’s a hard lesson to learn when you’re a 4- to  8-year-old, but knowing how to deal with changes might be easier, once your child is introduced to Little Red Rolls Away. Much like a real-world situation, what happens to the barn character in this book happens abruptly, with no warning; Little Red is apparently in the dark about his predicament, and that’s scary, which is something a child can surely understand.

This leads to a journey that, as in real life, is filled with pleasant things as well as frightening unknowns, but illustrations by Jennifer E. Morris keep them mild as author Linda Whalen’s story takes the happiest turn. That expected, but a welcome ending shows things really do have a way of working out for the better. For little routine-lovers who need to be reminded of that, as well as for kids who crave chaos in scheduled form, Little Red Rolls Away will have a nice place on your shelf.

Summer reading

Enjoy summer with new novels by J.R. Ward, Fiona Davis, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Sgt. Jack Coughlin, Susan Wiggs, Debbie Macomber, Stuart Woods and Parnell Hall, Sandra Brown, Karin Slaughter, Tess Gerritsen, Andrew Gross, Robin Cook, T. Jefferson Parker, EricaSpindler, Sue Grafton’s Y is for …, Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman, Danielle Steele and Louise Penny.

Look for Heather Harphum’s new book on happiness. There’s a book due out about a college athlete and her tragic suicide, and one about a female code-breaker in World War II. Look for a new book on how to use your liberal arts degree.

You’ll find a new book about Buddhism this month; also, a book about Alzheimer’s; one about how a father saved his son from ISIS; one by NFL team players, about their first coaches; and a business book on succeeding, by American counterintelligence expert Robin Dreeke  (with Cameron Stauth). Also look for a book on scandals at America’s elite colleges; a new book by Al Roker on the Johnstown Flood; and a book about how wonderful it is to be an adult who reads children’s literature.

And on that note, there are many, many new releases for the kids (and the kid in you).

Before you hit the bookstore, remember that this isn’t a final list nor is it cast in stone. Releases may be canceled or rescheduled. If you’re excited about any of these titles, check with your favorite bookseller or librarian – they know what’s up and helping you find exactly what you need is what they do best. Start budgeting now for your favorite books and, as always, Happy Reading!

Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was three years old and never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill in Wisconsin with two dogs and 14,000 books. Readers with questions or comments may write to Terri in care of this publication.