Recommended for PreK-K
There must be something about a little mouse and a big red edible object that is irresistible to young children. In the new picture book by Éric Battut, Little Mouse’s Big Secret, kids go crazy for this book that focuses on humor, science, and sharing. The text on one page and the cheerful illustrations on the opposite page interact wonderfully to tell the story of the adorable Little Mouse who finds a “delicious treat” (the illustration shows a cherry). Little Mouse decides the cherry will be a secret and hides the cherry in the ground. Lo and behold, Little Mouse is visited by multiple friends, one at a time, who wants to know his secret.
“It’s my secret, and I’ll never tell, “ answers Mouse. This is the repetitive refrain in the book. The preschoolers I read to through the volunteer program Ready Readers, love to say this and wag their fingers back and forth.
With each animal visit, the reader will notice the illustrations in which Mouse’s cherry is sprouting from the ground and growing into a cherry tree with every consecutive page turn. The funny part is (preschool verified), Mouse doesn’t notice this is happening because his back is turned. The illustrations make it easy to identify stages of a plant’s growth—the tree sprouts, becomes a sapling, grows into a mature tree that blossoms, and when the blossoms disappear, cherries appear. Mouse doesn’t even realize his “secret is out” until the cherries fall from the tree. Mouse decides that his secret is then best shared with his other animal friends.
Battut, E. (2011). Little mouse's big secret. New York, NY: Sterling.
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