Ages 5^-8. A little boy learns that the city, with all its grime and smoke and noise, can also be home for wildlife, when he discovers a "secret place" in a river flowing between concrete walls. When he observes the oasis, he sees such exotic birds as egrets and cinnamon teals as well as mallard families nesting. Returning at night with grown-up friends, he even sees coyotes and possums. But the adults caution him not to reveal the secret place to others, for fear they might change it. Bunting's prose is evocative, if a tad sophisticated for her young narrator, and Rand's paintings vividly convey both the grayness of the city and the colors of the graceful wild creatures. For older children, Herberman's City Kid's Field Guide (1989) makes a good companion. Susan Dove Lempke
From Kirkus Reviews
Bunting (Train to Somewhere, p. 65, etc.) writes about a small boy who discovers a secret place--a small patch of wildlife--at night in the river that runs through a cacophonous, polluted urban center--``Close by is a freeway where cars and trucks boom, and a railroad track with freight trains that shunt and grunt.'' He shares this discovery with his father who runs a forklift at night and ``is good with secrets,'' a young married couple, and others who teach him the names of the birds. The snowy egret feeds, green-winged teals and buffleheads skim the water, a mallard duck raises ducklings, and a coyote and possum with babies come to drink. The boy wants to tell even more people about the secret place, but decides to be careful in the name of protecting it. The brief poetic text captures the surprising beauty of nature in the city, where ``The phone wires rocked the moon/in their cradle of lines./The stars rested bright on the telephone poles.'' Luminous watercolors juxtapose the concrete and smoke of warehouses and wharves in an evocative and deeply satisfying work. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Review
"Luminous watercolors juxtapose the concrete and smoke of warehouses and wharves in an evocative and deeply satisfying work." Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Eve Bunting has written over two hundred books for children, including the Caldecott Medal-winning Smoky Night, illustrated by David Diaz, The Wall, Fly Away Home, and Train to Somewhere. She lives in Southern California.
The late TED RAND was the esteemed illustrator of many picture books, including Eve Bunting's Secret Place and The Memory String. 
