A Secret Keeps

By: Marsha Wilson Chall
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books
Publication Date: April 2012
ISBN: 978-0761355939
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: April 9, 2012

The full moon reflected in the car glass as it left the big city behind, a city that was nestled under the shadows of a mountain. A little boy peered out the windows and wondered what secret waited for him on the farm. Grandpa told him there was something special, but what was it? He tried to get Grandpa to tell him over the phone, but he wouldn't.

"Mom says we'll get there faster
if I take a nap or two.
I'll be there in two sleeps
where A Secret Keeps. 
Something's hiding under the moon." 

Ah, but what could it possibly be? They soon arrived at the farm and he raced into Grandpa's waiting arms.

That night they toasted marshmallows under the starlit sky. No, that couldn't have been the secret. He later rode on Grandpa's broad shoulders as the owl flew overhead. "Whooo-hoo." The other animals cried out in the night. No, they weren't the secret. In the morning Gramma called to wake him and he asked her if she knew what the secret was. "A secret is for keeping," she replied. He helped her gather the speckled eggs as the chickens carefully watched. No, they weren't the secret. Just what was that special secret that Grandpa had for him?

The exquisite prose and the gorgeous artwork mesh perfectly to create a gentle, memorable tale. The dreamy, inquisitive look on the little boy's face made me smile as I imagined his excitement building up the closer he got to Grandpa's and the special secret that was awaiting him. The magical times of childhood came alive with every turn of the page as the little blond mop-topped boy explored his Grandpa's farm. This is one special story that will be cherished and read time and time again!

Quill says: This is a beautiful story of a secret, a special secret that Grandpa was saving for a little boy.