Don't Spill the Beans!

The little wide-eyed bear with the red coveralls and red polka dotted yellow shirt looked very surprised when he was asked about his secret. He zipped up his lips as he put his paws to his mouth. Of course he was hiding a big package. "Don't spill the beans! / Don't let it slip! / Don't give it away! / Just button your lip." And that he did. The little bear rolled on the floor, threw his toes in the air and held on fast to those lips. BUT . . . buttoning up that lip wasn't going to last very long. He climbed on Elephant's trunk and whispered in his giant ear and used a tin can telephone to talk to Toucan. This was a secret too good to keep! He told stately old Auk who was sporting a bow tie and Kangaroo leaned over to listen closely. It was a plan to "Blurt it to Turtle. Also Baboon." A secret keeper and lip zipper upper he was not. Next he picked up Rabbit's ear and wrote a note to Raccoon. He tugged on Hippo's overalls to get him to listen and little Bat clung upside down on his arm while he broke the news. Was there anyone who wouldn't know the secret? Oh, there was Beaver, Lemur, and Cat. Spilling the beans was not to be done, but everyone seemed to know except for one person . . . now just who could that be? This was a mischievously fun little story about Bear, who just couldn't seem to keep a secret. Of course some secrets are meant to be blabbed, but only to certain people and never, ever to a birthday boy or girl. The artwork is simply adorable and my favorite "scenes" are when Bear and the other animals get that little "oh, no" look in their eyes when they don't want you, the reader, to know what is going on. The rhyming scheme was perfect and had just the right amount of bounce to it. If you have a birthday boy or girl who loves a secret, but has trouble zipping up those lips, this would be a welcome addition to your shelves!