Secret Place

Secret Place
by Eve Bunting and Ted Rand
children's fiction
ages 3-6

This book was recommended by the local Metroparks people.
A boy and his urban neighbors know that if you look around, even in the most smoggy, dirty city there is wildlife. They find ducks, possum, and more. They keep the wildlife a secret, however, so that people do not disturb the animals. I could not help but think of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Children, flowers, and animals can all grow and even thrive in great adversity.

Duck, Duck, Goose!

Duck, Duck, Goose!
My First Reader
by
Kirsten Hall and Laura Rader
children's fiction, ages 2-5

I have been going down the list of Kirsten Hall books at my library. She works with a number of different illustrators. This one is about - you guessed it - kids playing Duck, Duck, Goose! If you have a child who is about to head out to kindergarten or preschool for the first time, this is a good one to show how the game works. I can imagine that it might be a good book to use for an older sibling to explain the game to a younger sibling who has not seen the game. For children's librarians it is obvious that you can use this at storytime, then play the game with little children.
The children in the book play the game and imagine that they are faster than fast: running, flying, passing, winning! This is a joyful book. I can almost hear the children giggling through the pages.