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Summary
Summary
Shh...! Little Mouse has a secret! He's found a delicious-looking apple and doesn't want to share a bite. So he buries it, and no matter how many of his friends ask what he hid, Little Mouse won't tell. But when a tree sprouts from the seeds of the fruit, there are enough apples for everyone-and Little Mouse realizes some secrets are even better when they're shared.
Award-winning illustrator #65533;ric Battut has created a charming picture book that will delight-and teach-children.
Author Notes
#65533;RIC BATTUT was born in Chamali#65533;res, France, where he still lives and works today. After studying economics and civil rights for six years, he went on to study illustration at L'Ecole Emile Cohl in Lyon. He has since created many successful and award-winning books for children.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Mouse finds a delicious treat and buries it to keep it for himself. Over time, Squirrel, Bird, Turtle, Hedgehog, Rabbit, and Frog ask him, "What are you hiding?" and to each inquiry he replies: "It's my secret, and I'll never tell." What readers see and Mouse does not is that the buried treasure sprouts, grows taller with each page turn, and eventually matures into a fruit-laden tree. It is only when the apples fall to the ground, providing enough treats for everyone, that unsuspecting Mouse realizes that "sometimes.secrets are even better when you share them." Brief repetitive text on the bottom of the left page appears opposite the small oil paintings of Mouse and his friends on the bottom right. Behind both text and illustrations is a large expanse of soft, pale yellow ground that allows viewers to focus on the growing tree without distraction. One-on-one sharing of this charming story will afford young children the opportunity to chime in on the refrain and to revel in the realization that they know more than its tiny protagonist.-Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
The urge to hoard treats is a common one, and Battut's (The Fox and the Hen) brisk, spare treatment of the problem has the feel of a classic. The layout attracts attention immediately: text runs along the bottom of the left-hand page, while the action takes place at the foot of the right, with a wealth of empty space above. "Oh, what a delicious treat!" says diminutive Mouse, upon discovering an apple. He decides to bury it to keep other animals from seeing his treasure and wanting to share it. On each page, an animal appears and asks, "What are you hiding?" to which he replies, "It's my secret, and I'll never tell." Behind him-unbeknownst to him-his apple is growing into a tree, sprouting, filling the empty page with branches and leaves. It blooms, fruits, then drops its apples just after Mouse has declared, "I will keep my secret forever." Elemental text and artwork effectively convey the lesson about Mouse's best-laid plans, while his obliviousness to the tree's growth provides suspense and satisfaction. Ages 2-up. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Mouse finds an apple, which he quickly buries and keeps secret from the other animals. However, a tree begins to sprout; it grows, flowers, and drops fruit for everyone to enjoy. The secret is revealed: "But sometimes...secrets are even better when you share them." Spare, uncluttered illustrations of tiny animals alongside the growing tree complement this brief, satisfying fable. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Young readers will thrill at being one step ahead of a protagonist who isn't quite so cunning as he thinks he is. A tiny mouse finds a bright red fruit approximately the size of his head. An apple? No matter, it's clearly a "delicious treat"one he wants all for himself. To keep it a secret, he hides it in the ground. Pals arriveSquirrel, Bird, Turtle, Hedgehog, Rabbit and Frog, all roughly the same size as Mouseto ask what he's hiding. He replies to each, "It's my secret, and I'll never tell." Little Mouse faces to the left as he speaks with each friend; behind him, unobserved by anyone except readers, something is happening. A sprout... a sapling... page by page, the fruit that Mouse accidentally planted grows into a tree, which blossoms and bears more fruit. Mouse, still facing left, stands beneath the tree he hasn't noticed, guarding his secret with total navetuntil the fruit all falls down. Mouse doesn't mind; now everyone can partake. Battut's oil paintings are a wonder of scale: The wee, delicate animals cluster on the bottom right side of a vast spread of calmingly pale, luminescent yellow. Even the tree at its tallest stays tranquilly centered mid-right, leaving plenty of creamy yellow background to showcase the largeness of the world from a child's-eye view and how easy it is to focus on the most important thing in that world. (Picture book. 2-5)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In this French import, a gray mouse comes across an apple, which he buries in the ground, determined to keep it for himself. When six different animals come by and ask what he is hiding, he says to each, It's my secret, and I'll never tell. Unbeknownst to Little Mouse, his secret reveals itself by quickly growing into a sapling and dropping its fruit for the other animals to enjoy, leading Little Mouse to realize that secrets are even better when you share them. Battut (The Fox and the Hen, 2010) creates delicate, minimalist oil paintings that are well-placed on buttery, square page-spreads that greatly extend the simple text, written in Little Mouse's voice. Both words and art are on a small scale, but as the tree grows, so will the smiles of the book's young audience as they register the story's gentle irony and learn an important lesson about sharing.--Medlar, Andrew Copyright 2010 Booklist