Red's Great Chase

When a little girl named Red goes down to her dark basement one day, she encounters a monster there...and Red's great chase is on! The monster chases her up the basement stairs, out of the house, through the park, over a mountain, and finally into outer space. Red is all out of breath, and so is the big scary monster ... who turns out to be not so scary after all. To Red's relief, there is someone she knows and loves under the furry blue monster costume -- and soon it is Red's turn to do the chasing!

From Publishers Weekly

It all starts when Red, a carrot-topped girl, tiptoes into the dark basement, represented by brightly hued, cheery toys silhouetted against a black background: "You never know when a scary monster might jump out, she thought./ Just then, she saw one!" The chase is on, as a big blue creature with yellow horns (who bears more of resemblance to a plush toy than a fearsome bogeyman) appears from the half-light to pursue Red over, under and through both real-life and fanciful landscapes. Red never loses her cool, though: she rides a zebra through the jungle with aplomb and even scales a skyscraper (the illustration is printed sideways to emphasize the height of her achievement). When her pursuer finally "catches" her, the monster turns out to be Mom in a costume--and now it's Red's turn to gleefully chase her. British author/artist Lia knows just how to pitch suspense for young audiences: as the excitement builds, her plucky heroine, caption-like text and na?f-style illustrations will assure even youngest readers that Red is never really in peril. A giddy roller-coaster ride--with training wheels. Ages 3-7. (Apr.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Throughout this book, a little girl named Red (wearing a red dress and having red hair) is chased by a blue monster with horns. The adventure begins in the basement and continues "up the stairs," "out of the house," "across the blue mountains," and "into space." There, an unnamed woman removes her mask and says, "-your turn to chase me, Red!" The minimal surreal illustrations rendered in vivid colors show perspectives that are both awkward and confusing. One line of dull text accompanies each picture. Apart from being bold and colorful, the art neither clarifies the text nor adds interest. Michael Rosen's We're Going on a Bear Hunt (McElderry, 1989) is a far superior choice for introducing the concepts of "over," "under," "through," etc.Olga R. Barnes, Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, NC Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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