It's a Secret

Word of mouth led me to find this gem. We actually had been waiting for our library to get it and in the meantime read several other books by the author. My daughter ended up getting it for her birthday and it has been a favorite from her bookcase ever since.This book is exactly the kind of playful, imaginative, and original storytelling I love to find for my 4 year old. Every time we get into the nighttime adventures of the protagonist and her cat, my daughter's eyes always grow wide and she gets a big grin. The art is wonderfully original, as well. A variety of techniques and texture keep the story visually compelling over several reads.A less important quality: it's the perfect length for bedtime. We tend to follow a picture book with some chapter book reading so I love it when it's a book that takes 10 minutes or less to read!John Burningham has been creating kids' books for over 40 years. Of all of the ones we've read, and there were many great ones, this is the best and most fun. He's an astounding talent to have pulled that off!

"Where are you going and why are you small?" is one of the greatest lines ever. My older children read Mr. Gumpy's outing hundreds of times. The young one likes that too but The Secret is his favorite. The dogs who look like droogs from a Clockwork Orange are just scary enough but not very since they look like dogs. And the Queen of Cats! Oh My. I want to party with her.Note that this is a wonderful companion book to Dahlov Ipcar's  The Cat At Night

I love this illustrations in this book. Its a great bed time story.

I ordered this for my grandson, but I think it is better suited for little girls. He said it was okay, but he likes other books better.

love it

A cute children's book with a cat theme, and I'm in......such was the case when I came across, It's a Secret, by John Burningham (author and illustrator).In this story, Malcom the cat leaves his comfy home every evening through the catdoor, and does not return until morning. He then spends his days sleeping inside of his comfy home. What does Malcom do at night? "It's a Secret"!One night little Marie-Elaine sees Malcom getting ready to go out. She and her friend Norman persuade Malcom to take them with him, and they are in for the magical surprise of their lives. Where did they go and what did they do, you ask? Sorry, I can't tell you;It's a Secret, so be sure to read the book for yourself.Great whimsical illustrations; magical story; ages 3-6.

This is a book about a very ordinary house cat named Malcolm. No, wait, make that an extraordinary cat who only projects the illusion of being an ordinary house cat. By day, he spends much of day sleeping on the couch curled up in a ball, but by night .... why, that's a very different story.Each night Malcolm dresses himself in fancy duds and steps out on the town with his friends. Marie Elaine, his owner, just happens to catch him leaving one night and discovers his secret. She begs to come with him. He relents, but only if she wears appropriate party attire and "gets small" to fit through the cat door.Mary Elaine happily meets Malcolm's conditions and they flee through the night - only to be caught red-handed by the neighbor boy, Norman Kowalski. Or course, Norman demands to come as well, and now three of them are nearly late to the secret party. They rush past a pack of dogs, narrowly escaping by dashing up a fire escape and sliding down a wire.The feline celebration is wonderful, complete with balloons, an accordian player and festive dancing. They share a wonderful midnight feast and the Queen of the Cats presents everyone with small gifts. Nobody wants the party to end, but they reluctantly say their goodbyes and travel homeward. In the morning, Mary Elaine's mother says to her "You look as if you were out all night with the cat." Oh, if only she knew!What a wonderfully magical story. This takes a seemingly ordinary pet and gives them a secret existence! Beautiful mixed media illustrations complete the fantasy, making this a truly lovely book. What are your own pets up to while you sleep? It's a secret!

By the time everyone got up in the morning Malcolm, who went out every night, was fast asleep on the green couch. Marie Elaine asked her mother where cats went at night, but she just said, "I don't know. They just go outside somewhere." That didn't seem like a very good answer, but it would have to do. One night Marie Elaine came downstairs to get a drink and spotted Malcolm "by the cat door." He was wearing a bright red coat fastened at the waist with a dandy belt, a ruffled blouse and was sporting a green hat with a feathery plume sticking out of it. Hmmmm, what was that cat up to?Marie Elaine was really curious and asked him where he was going. "I'm going to a party, but I can't say where because it's a secret." She begged Malcolm to let her go with him and when he agreed, she hurried to get on her party dress and off they went through the cat door (of course she had to get small to do that!). Norman Kowalski soon joined them, but he only was allowed to go because if he didn't he was going to tell on her. Past those dog thugs, up the fire escape, across the top of a big crane, down the crane wire rope and they were at the rooftop party. Let the party begin!Everyone loves a secret and the adventures of Marie Elaine, Norman and Malcolm and their madcap nighttime adventure make this one fun and endearing. The art work fully compliments this uniquely witty tale and once and for all lets us know what cats do at night. The story has a nice flow to it and the reader will have trouble with little hands turning the pages anxious to find out what the characters are up to. This would be a perfect story or circle time book for many little ones to enjoy. Now Marie Elaine and Norman know what cats do at night and so will you, but can you keep a secret?

Fun story that the children enjoyed acting out themselves

We're big fans of John Burningham in this house, and this book doesn't disappoint. The illustrations are fantastic; they alone are enough to get a child's imagination going. The story is sweet and straight forward, with that pinch of magic that runs through so much of John Burninghams's work. Definitely works for us!

It is very good thank you.

Lovely story.I'm was so impressed with the service of this seller. Highly recommend them. Thank you.

I love this book. It's a keeper. It was time to have my own copy.