RED RIBBON

Jenny, the 8-year-old neighbor of an AIDS victim, learns from her mother another way to wear the red hair ribbon she gets for her birthdayin the simple loop that has come to represent commitment to AIDS eradication and education, and compassion for those with the disease. The full-page paintings that face each verse of the simple rhyming text have a muted, downcast air created by dark colors and shadows; figures and expressions are clearly rendered, and though the neighbor is mostly seen from the back or at a distance, a final close-up of his thin hand holding a shell, feathers, and Jenny's other personal treasures sounds a more intimate note. The book is packaged with a single-song cassette and a length of ribbon; a portion of the royalties will go to organizations serving children and adults affected by AIDS. Share this with children who ask what the red ribbon means. (Picture book. 5-7)