Seeing Red: The True Story of Blood - Tanya Lloyd Kyi and Steve Rolston

Seeing Red: The True Story of Blood
Tanya Lloyd Kyi (Author)
Steve Rolston (Illustrator)
Annick Press
ISBN 9781554513857

This book was a wonderful surprise. The cover and title grabbed my attention right from the start and it just got better with every page I read. The chapters are:

Introduction. The Bloody Facts
1. Blood and Ritual
2. Rites of Passage
3. Sips and Suppers
4. Ties That Bind
5. Reading The Blood
6. A Taste For Blood
Further Reading
Selected Sources
Index

The format of this book was wonderful, fully illustrated and even the text is part of the design and layout to make the book visually and viscerally appealing. The book looks at historical facts, trends, and mythology, and moves on down to current science, both medical and forensic. It will have an appeal to a wide range of readers. With break-out sections expanding on the main points, quick facts and quirky illustrations, it will keep the reader turning the pages and when they hit the end wanting more. The story is told in part as a young man researches the history of blood and his girlfriend the vampire shares her insight. This was an amazing story to read; I literally could not put it down and read it in a single sitting. And I know lots of children and even parents who will enjoy all the knowledge shared in such a playful way. The story was so great I have already tracked others down by both the author and illustrator to read and that says a lot about how good it is.

(Note: I received an electronic galley of this book through NetGalley, courtesy of Annick Press. The book was read on my iPad. As per my general disclaimer, free books have no impact on my review.)