Secrets I Know - Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF
Since Vivian is featuring Susanna Hill's fun new picture book - THE ROAD THAT TRUCKS BUILT, I decided to review another picture book that I fell in love with this week.
Secrets I Know
Author: Kallie George
Illustrator: Paola Zakimi
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books (2017)
Age: 3-7
Fiction
Themes:
Nature, friendship, and imagination.
Synopsis (from Barnes & Noble):
Perfect for fans of Liz Garton Scanlon's All the World and Amy Krouse Rosenthal's I Wish You More, this charming, whimsical story about one imaginative little girl’s magical world is sure to enchant readers young and old. Follow the girl throughout a day spent in her own backyard, and you'll discover lots of secrets only she can tell. For example, did you know that whispers hide in trees? Or that trees make great umbrellas? With a simple, poetic text from Kallie George and extraordinary illustrations from debut artist Paola Zakimi, here is a book families will read again and again and treasure for years to come.
Opening Lines:
I know lots of secrets. Like . . .
Secrets are for whispering.
Whispers hide in trees.
Trees make great umbrellas.
Why I Like This Book:
I was that little girl. Exploring the woods and the beach. Whispering secrets to a faithful dog. i love the interactions of the child and her dog.
Paola's muted illustrations carry so much of the story and themselves contain secrets and treasures. They portray a sense of wonder and magic as the little girl explores her backyard and shares with the reader secrets that she knows.
In addition to knowing secrets about nature, she knows that the "true treasure is a friend," especially one who likes to explore and imagine and listen for the star's secrets. It's still magical sitting outside on a starry night, waiting for satellites and shooting stars and marveling as as the sky fills with stars. Paola captures that awe and magic in her final spread.
Employing anadiplosis - wrapping the last word or thought of a line into the beginning of the next line - Kallie creates a very lyrical, poetic picture book. Kallie's spare text pairs beautifully with Paola's textured and detailed art to make a true treasure of a picture book.
Related Activites:
- take a walk and see if you can find a secret in nature.
- what else could you use in nature for a tea party?
- make your own telescope http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/nature/make-a-telescope/
This post is part of a series by authors and KidLit bloggers called Perfect Picture Book Fridays. For more picture book suggestions see Susanna Leonard Hill's Perfect Picture Books.
