RED KNIT CAP GIRL TO THE RESCUE

Red Knit Cap Girl (2012) returns with ingenuity and pluck to save a lost animal in another atmospheric offering from Stoop.

In the forest, Red Knit Cap Girl plays with her animal friends, creating handmade items of interest. A kite, boat and telescope made from recycled paper are their entertainment, until the hooded heroine spots a polar bear, stranded on an iceberg at sea. She saves the lost bear and embarks on a journey to reunite the cub with his family. Each challenge along the way is met with a quiet determination, and the rescue mission soon becomes an adventure as the folded-paper sailboat weathers a storm, glides with orcas and follows the Moon’s light to safe harbor. Done in acrylic, pencil and ink on plywood, the artwork has a dreamy, ethereal quality. While the drawing style is simple, Stoop graphically enhances the images in a sophisticated way that elevates the work. Often, the wood pattern radiates out to highlight the composition, adding depth and texture. With this technique, the artist gently illuminates the rhythms of the sea, the currents of the wind and the wonder of the aurora borealis. Readers will want to glide with this resourceful red-capped girl, across the sea and sky, to also speak with the moon.

Quietly perceptive and deeply appreciative of nature, its beauty and delicacy, and the individual’s power to protect it. (Picture book. 3-6)