Don't tell the whole world! - Hardcover

Joanna Cole s a former elementary school teacher and librarian and a frequent contributor to Parents magazine. In Asking About Sex and Growing Up she provides a reassuring blEND

of scientific fact and practical guidance, written for the audience that needs it most. Joanna Cole lives in Connecticut.

Kindergarten-Grade 3-- A retelling an old folktale about a wife who cannot keep a secret and her husband's outlandish ruse to keep others from believing her story of buried treasure. Duke sets the story in a rural 19th-century America. While Cole quickly shows that Emma can't keep a secret, her text and Duke's pictures clearly show John's affection for his wife. The villain of the piece is the landlord, old Mr. Snood. When John finds a money box while plowing the field, he knows it's only a matter of time before Emma tells and Snood comes to claim the treasure, so he thinks of a plan. This version has a folksy rhythm and flavor that should please storytellers. A humorous counterpart to John's talkative wife is his ox, who with a look or a nod of its head seems to offer sage advice. The soft pastel watercolors reflect the gentle humor of the tale. Another variation of it in an easy-reader format is Mirra Ginsburg's The Night It Rained Pancakes (Greenwillow, 1980; o.p.), in which a brother takes the loose-lipped role. --Judith Gloyer, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.