School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3-Two excellent offerings that address important topics. In the first title, readers are eased into the subject by learning about fun secrets, such as a surprise party or a secret handshake. Then the text explains that bad secrets "are things that don't make you feel happy on the inside," like when someone hurts you, steals lunch money, or touches you "in a way that made you feel uncomfortable and all yucky inside." Youngsters are instructed to seek help from a trusted adult when they have a bad secret. In the second book, a girl describes her feelings about her family problems: "I knew my parents were forgetting to be friends because they often looked so sad. They didn't talk to one another very much, and we even stopped having family night." She hears them arguing and wonders if it is her fault. When her father moves into his own place, things slowly begin to improve. Both texts present information in a child-friendly manner, and the cartoon illustrations capture the characters' emotions. The author has a good understanding of children and how they view their world, and provides additional notes to parents.-Melinda Piehler, Sawgrass Elementary School, Sunrise, FL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.