“What’s THAT, Bear? / Don’t spill the beans! / Don’t let it slip! / Don’t give it away! / Just button your lip!” Bear has a brightly colored box, but he is having a difficult time keeping its contents a secret. So he tells Elephant and Toucan…and one by one, one animal leads to another. He tips off Hippo and blabs to Rabbit. Before long everyone knows. Everyone but the readers, that is. “Well, Bear, / THAT was fun, / but didn’t you / forget someone?” When he and his pals spell it out, it’s a special wish about a very special day. Schoenherr’s vibrantly dressed, wide-eyed animals are expressive, and each is overjoyed to be in on the secret. The ink-and-acrylic illustrations hearken back to the Golden Books of days long gone, and the big, friendly, hand-lettered text makes this ideal for doing double duty as a beginning reader for those just learning to sound out their letters and put together words. Great for storytimes on secrets or as a special birthday gift. (Picture book. 1-4)
