Owls Are Good at Keeping Secrets: An Unusual Alphabet

Using charming, offbeat fictional "facts" about animals (both real and imaginary), this gentle and humourous picture book introduces children to the alphabet in an original, entertaining way. Each letter is designated a creature, some more commonplace than others ("Bb: Bears" versus "Mm: Meerkats"), and some downright imaginary ("Dd: Dragons", "Uu: Unicorns"). The creature is then attributed some personality trait that may or may not be true. No traditional learning here! You may have read somewhere else that "C is for chipmunks who collect nuts in autumn", but here, C is for chipmunks who "love to stay up past bedtime".

In his own words, Jacob Grant makes "absurd and heartfelt picture books". This lovely book is no exception. The illustrations - hand-painted vignettes and spots on an otherwise blank white page - are sweet, mild and show a window into tender, whimsical moments. Most of the letters in the alphabet are one to a page while some get a double-page spread. The colour palette looks like it could be pulled from dyes found in nature - rosy, muted, and rich without being overly bright.

Sara O'Leary's text lends a refreshing bit of imagination to our observations on the animal kingdom. Children will be able to see themselves in one or more of the animals and find validation for their own quirky personalities or traits they might be self-conscious about. "Gg" sports two giraffes riding a tandem bicycle with carefree smiles as the text states that "giraffes usually have just one best friend". Kids who get homesick on sleepovers will see that it's okay because sometimes iguanas do too! And maybe we can all learn to be a little more like jellyfish, who don't care if they look funny when they dance. Upon examination of Grant's pictorial representations, the text's make-believe truisms don't always hold to every animal in the pack, leaving a subtle message that diversity may occur - and that's okay too.

For older kids, this books offers an opportunity to discuss the idea of "don't believe everything you read". A read-aloud or shared reading experience could develop into a game where you take turns making up your own "facts" about other animals' secret lives. I read Owls Are Good at Keeping Secrets: An Unusual Alphabet with my five-year-old nephew, and he got a kick out of saying "that's not truuuue!" at the end of almost every page (surely raccoons aren't always first to arrive for a party?), while thoughtfully considering, "that might be true" on others ("Nn: narwhals can be perfectly happy all alone").