Secrets Of Winter Shine-A-Light Children's Book from Ivy Press

Some children's books are a joy, and Secrets Of Winter is one of them. This is a book with a secret, in fact every other page holds a secret, and it's only when you 'shine a light' behind the page that you can find it's hidden treasure...

Written and illustrated by Carron Brown and Georgina Tee, Secrets Of Winter is one of a series of 'Shine-A-Light' books. We were reading at bedtime, so we used a torch to 'see' the pictures as we read.

My boys were both very surprised when they realised the picture completely altered with the torchlight behind. The reverse of each page has a solid black and white image which only allows selected light through and creates a new, complete picture.

The book itself is lovely, a nice exploration of secrets that are hidden in Winter, what the animals and other creatures in a woodland get up to when humans aren't around to disturb their peace. It helps children understand where all of the wildlife go when the weather is not safe or fun for them to be out and about, and is a great way to bring this to life in a way children understand. 

The Ivy Press publish lots of other 'Shine-A-Light' books, with titles including On The Space Station, On The Plane (ideal for pre-schoolers), Secrets Of The Vegetable Garden and On The Construction Site.

The 'Shine-A-Light' books take everyday features and bring them to life in a fabulous way which encourages children to think, to ask questions, and to explore their world. There is a glossary at the back of the book explaining more about Winter survival skills of forest-living creatures.

We will never look at another tree in Winter and think that it's 'dead' ever again...and it's made my 7 year old especially interested in our Ivy...

Shine-A-Light Books, including Secrets Of Winter are published by Ivy Press and available at all good bookshops including online on Amazon. They have approximately 38 pages in a mix of full colour and black & white, and have a recommended retail price of £10.99.

We were sent our book for review.