Greanias, Margaret Chiu. How This Book Got Red. Illustrated by Melissa Iwai. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2023. 978-1-728-26565-0. $18.99. Unpaged. Grades PreK-2.

Gee (a giant panda) and Red (a red panda) are excited when they discover a book about pandas. Unfortunately, Red is devastated to find that there is not a single mention of red pandas in the entire book. Red decides to take matters into her own hands by writing a book about red pandas. This proves to be harder than she imagined; however, and only after a great deal of encouragement does she find the conviction to finish her story.

THOUGHTS: The subtle message that this book delivers – that sometimes in order to be seen, one must speak out and share his/her story – is extremely profound. It will speak to any minority that may feel under-represented in literature and popular culture. A wonderful, thought-provoking story, this would be a great discussion starter for young audiences.

Picture Book