Secrets I Know

Starred review from March 13, 2017
As this pensive story opens, a girl sits curled up by a window; her dog gazes out at the garden, where rain falls. “I know lots of secrets,” the girl says, addressing readers. “Like... Secrets are for whispering.” A page turn shows her out in the garden, dressed in a raincoat, viewed through leafy branches (“Whispers hide in trees”). “Trees make great umbrellas,” reads another spread, as the girl sits in a tree house with her dog, protected from the rain. Her linked musings progress (“Sunshine marks the spot... for finding buried treasure. True treasure is a friend”), and she’s joined by a friend who helps her retrieve a telescope that they use to stargaze under the same “umbrella” of a tree. Zakimi (Teddy & Co.) draws animals and plants and their varied textures with care, quietly underscoring the small wonders found in a backyard; matte paper and a restrained palette add to the sense of tranquility. George’s (The Lost Gift) poem celebrates nature, friendship, and understanding things not just with the head but with the heart. Ages 3–7. Agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management.

Starred review from March 1, 2017
A small girl shares her secrets (she knows "lots," and she knows "secrets are for whispering").She cups her pale hand, covers her mouth, leans into a puppy's ear, and begins. Throughout her day (marked by raindrops, seashells, sun, play, and, finally, stars) readers hear the girl's husky, hushed voice unfurling ribbons of loosely tied thoughts and associations. She relays all she knows: "Whispers hide in trees. / Trees make great umbrellas. / Umbrellas are the perfect boats." The interconnected (perhaps improvised?) litany goes on and on, while short sentences convey charming clarity and punctuated certainty. Full-bleed, double-page spreads depict playtime vignettes that inspire her secrets, and as these pictures run off the page, succeeding one another fluidly, it's easy to visualize the girl's secrets all strung together, a cheerful paper chain of ideas and whimsy. Pencil drawings capture the coyness in her upward-cast eyes, the bounce of her bob, her pursed smile, and the windy, leafy outdoors. Dusky digital coloring--mildly murky browns and greens--clouds the illustrations with a subtle cover of mystery, suggesting both a cloudy day and a shadowy, secretive mood. Once indoors, the mood and pictures brighten, lit up by a beaming friendship with her neighbor, a brown-skinned boy equally excited by stargazing. He also knows that "Stars keep your secrets. / They only tell the trees." Psst! This book holds delightful secrets. And these secrets shouldn't be missed. (Picture book. 3-8)

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May 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 1-A girl explores the secrets in her backyard in this whimsical picture book that celebrates a child's imagination. The poetic text builds the story one idea at a time as she moves about her day. "I know lots of secrets. Like.../Secrets are for whispering./Whispers hide in trees./Trees make great umbrellas./Umbrellas are the perfect boats." Each verse is accompanied by subtle, full-page, digitally rendered pencil drawings, in muted earth tone colors, that quietly share her secrets with others. The child's adventure leads to finding treasure in a friend and confiding secrets in the stars, who tell only the trees, as the lyrical word association brings the narrative full circle. VERDICT The large format makes this serene tale perfectly suited for one-on-one or small group reading, as it thoroughly captures the inspiring wonders of a day of play in one's own backyard.-Kristine M. Casper, Huntington Public Library, NY

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2017
Preschool-G A young girl with a vivid imagination has no end of secrets to tell: trees make the best umbrellas, you can sweeten tea with sunshine, and sunbeams lead directly to treasure. But what good are secrets if you have no one to share them with? Our young protagonist knows the truest treasure of all is a friend, and so she goes next door to visit her neighbor. Together, they share their secrets with each other and the nighttime sky. The simplicity of the story is balanced by the richly illustrated, lush backyard gardens in which it is set. Each image is spread across two pages, creating wide visual space and room for whimsical details; the bright-eyed garden creatures are especially charming. Dominated by the natural surroundings, the images convey intimacy and solitude but never feel lonely. Muted greens and blues lend softness, while solitary colors catch the eye. An homage to the imagination, this gentle and subdued story celebrates the everyday magic of children's adventures.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

May 1, 2017
Whimsical text ( Secrets are for whispering ) and illustrations in muted colors convey the thoughtful interior life of a little girl's day at play. She heads outside on a windy day with her yellow raincoat, her umbrella, and her lamb-like little dog, noticing that the sound of the blowing leaves is like whispers hid[ing] in trees. After waiting out a rain shower in a tree house, she floats her open umbrella in a puddle, and then sets up a pretend tea party in a sandbox, with seashells for cups and saucers. Each double-page spread holds just one phrase or sentence (occasionally, two), but the story is told largely through the illustrations, so children will linger to see what the girl and dog do next. Zakimi's digitally colored pencil illustrations play with the thickness of lines to give texture. Toward the end, the little girl (who is white) visits with a brown-skinned friend, and the two return together to the tree house with a telescope to look at the sky: Stars keep your secrets. They only tell the trees. And trees make great umbrellas. Which you already know. This quiet picture book celebrates the joys of observation and old-fashioned playtime. susan dove lempke

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)