The scene is a small town on Long Island; the writing is not nearly as seriously funny as in the original; and even though...
This is more about that spankingly (spankably?) fresh heroine Harriet The Spy whose initial appearance occasioned all kinds of discussion among those who monitor juvenile literature; some thought she wasn't very "nice"; some even took the position that she was "sick."
In any case, in this sequel, Harriet is much less of a controversial character, and, sadly, she's lost lots of her sassy spriteliness. There are however occasional sequences which make the book, rather than Harriet, vaguely (very vaguely, by our standards) liable to censure. There is some consideration of religion with a valid if unorthodox conclusion—"It is a tool to get through life with. And if it works, it is a good tool. And if it don't work, it is a bad tool." Then there's a perfectly natural short discussion of that natural feminine phenomenon, menstruation, which occurs at this age but is seldom mentioned in juvenile fiction at this age level... Beyond that, The Long Secret is not as good, or perhaps cohesive, a story as the first one, partly because Harriet is subsidiary to her friend Beth Ellen. Beth Ellen's life is now disrupted by the reappearance of her delinquent but glamorous mother whom she hadn't seen in seven years. Her mother arrives, along with a new marital acquisition, and subjects Beth Ellen to Elizabeth Arden, the Bath & Tennis Club and a whole unwanted worldly sphere of life. In this case, Mother doesn't know best and is sent away, back to Europe. And this situation is not only an innovation but a dramatic reversal of the accepted "good family relationship" which usually obtains in books for and about the young... What about Harriet? She's busy too, trying to find out just who has been littering the community with threatening Biblical admonitions and the culprit will come as a surprise...
The scene is a small town on Long Island; the writing is not nearly as seriously funny as in the original; and even though Louise Fitzhugh is still well ahead of the field, the book is not as appealing as the first.Pub Date: Oct. 27, 1965
ISBN: 978-0-440-41819-1
Page Count: 288
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1965
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
May this endearing pair have more sneakily educational outings.
The ground is all white and cold, and Squirrel has no idea why.
Awakening to find the grass is gone, Squirrel panics and calls for Bird. Ever patient Bird explains that sometimes it snows in winter, and the grass just gets covered. Bird suggests they play in the snow, but Squirrel says it’s too cold…until Bird introduces Squirrel to snowballs. Suddenly, Squirrel loves snow. Bird also explains that snowflakes are all different shapes. Squirrel’s skeptical. “They’re all small, white blobs.” Then Squirrel yells, “BIRD! There is SMOKE coming out of my mouth! Is it because I ate a snowflake?” Bird notes that sometimes it gets so cold that you can see your breath. A frozen puddle sends Squirrel sliding into a giant snow squirrel. Squirrel’s pretty sure that snow squirrel stole some hazelnuts. Bird explains that’s impossible: “It isn’t real—it’s just a SNOW squirrel.” When the snow melts overnight, Squirrel is convinced the snow squirrel took it all—but at least the hazelnuts are still there (the builder of the snow squirrel had used them for the eyes and mouth). Hemming’s tale, which relies on speech bubbles and text in several different fonts for emphasis (and overreaction), is as funny as the first two in the series, while Slater’s digitally created, colorful illustrations add some slapstick giggles. The book finishes with a double-page spread of snow facts that address Squirrel’s concerns.
May this endearing pair have more sneakily educational outings. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9781464226786
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
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