Description Book Introduction I'm a happy child, and my secret is imagination. What's the secret to your happiness? In the opening scene of Peter Reynolds's new picture book, I'll Tell You a Secret — created by an artist who never lost the heart of a child — the little narrator boldly declares, "I'm a happy kid!" Even though grown-ups usually tell children to sit up straight, be quiet, and look ahead, the child confesses that it just can't be helped. Imagination has a way of popping up whenever it wants, and it simply can't always be controlled. All sorts of imaginings — big and small, silly and serious — are exactly what the child says is the secret to happiness. Sometimes imagination makes you dance to a bouncy beat, soar high into the sky, or tumble straight down to the ground. And the very best place to enjoy all this imagining? A messy room — cleaning strictly forbidden! I'll Tell You a Secret is a story Peter Reynolds created by looking back on his own childhood. He has said that his life today was made possible thanks to the teachers he met in school — teachers who noticed, accepted, and encouraged his unique inner world. Now, he wants to share the secret of happiness he discovered with children everywhere. That's why I'll Tell You a Secret is sure to become one of the most trustworthy and comforting friends for children all around the world. Publisher's Review "I wrote this book for children who light up the world around them with their amazing imaginations — in other words, for you. My own childhood was full of joyful imaginings. Kids, there are so many wonderful and fun things in this world just waiting for you. And if this book makes even one person happy, then tonight I'll be able to have an even more wonderful dream." — Peter Reynolds A New Picture Book from Peter Reynolds, an Artist with the Heart of a Child First published in Korean in 2003 and still beloved today, The Dot follows Vashti, a girl who hesitates in front of a blank sheet of paper, and invites readers to think about what it truly means to be an artist. Reynolds has a gift for connecting with children on the theme of "self-expression" — as seen in Ish, which celebrates the joy of living without being confined by rules, and Sky Color (Art Museum invitation-themed book), which shows readers how to appreciate art in their own way. He has also touched hearts around the world with stories that bridge children and the wider world: Someday, a New York Times bestselling picture book carrying a moving ode from mother to daughter; The Looking Book (bond between father and son); and I Am Here, which portrays the inner world of a child spending time alone. This time, the theme Peter Reynolds turns his attention to is "happiness." The protagonist of this book is an endlessly happy child. The child's free-spirited movements, flowing like music, along with a calm and honest attitude, awaken in us the pure joy and deep delight of happiness — a feeling we may have forgotten. Outlandish imaginings, enormous imaginings, tiny imaginings, strange and funny imaginings! In the very first scene, the child declares, "I'm a happy kid!" Even though grown-ups usually tell children to sit up straight, be quiet, and look ahead, the child confesses that it just can't be helped — imagination always shows up unannounced, and not everything can be controlled. All sorts of imaginings — big and small, of every kind — are exactly what the child calls the secret to happiness. Imagination sometimes makes you dance to a bouncy rhythm, soar high into the sky, or tumble down to the ground. And the perfect place to enjoy it all is a messy room — cleaning is strictly forbidden! Whether day or night, imagination arrives like sparkling fireworks! But that's okay — a truly happy child knows how to get right back up again. And how to take one step, then another, moving forward. The child's mind isn't always this lively and noisy. Sometimes the child lies still, watching the patterns imagination creates as it drifts by, and at other times feels a quiet loneliness, as if trapped inside a box. At those moments, time is needed — and the child understands this well. The book's climactic scene gently shows us how to get back up and take a step forward again, even after suddenly falling into a difficult feeling. Across the spread, the hints the child offers are packed together like treasures in a box of chocolates...