The Secret Fawn - by Kallie George (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A little girl is always missing out on the wonderful things her family gets to see and do, just because she is the youngest and littlest. She misses seeing shooting stars because she goes to bed too early; she can't pick the first apple of autumn because she's too short and, this morning, everyone else got to see a deer--except her. She goes into her backyard in search of the deer, a sugar cube tucked in her pocket. She sees a flick of brown in the orchard--is that the deer?"--

Book Synopsis

Gorgeous cut-paper art illuminates this sweet, heartfelt picture book about how special being little can be. For fans of Finding Wild and Little Fox in the Forest.

A little girl is always missing out on the wonderful things her family gets to see and do, just because she is the youngest and smallest. She misses seeing shooting stars because she goes to bed too early; she can't pick the first apple of autumn because she's too short; and, this morning, everyone else got to see a deer . . . except her. She goes into her backyard in search of the deer, a sugar cube tucked in her pocket. She sees a flick of brown in the orchard -- is that the deer? No, it's just the neighbor's friendly dog (Shhhhh, Nala!). Is that it by the pond? No, that's just a bird, playing in the water. Just when she's about to give up, she spots a fawn, beautiful, quiet and small . . . just like her.

The Secret Fawn beautifully captures the power of nature to inspire children and shows how connecting with animals can help kids who feel left out or overlooked.

Review Quotes

One of CCBC's Best Books for Kids and Teens, Fall 2021

"Sweet and pretty for bedtime or naptime -- and validating to little ones all the time." --STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews

"Cut paper adds definition; salt stippling creates the impression of apple blossoms; the whole becomes a world set apart from the ordinary. The protagonist, too, is out of the ordinary: returning home, she keeps her encounter with the fawn secret, her rich inner life bringing its own rewards." --The Horn Book Magazine

"In this quietly resplendent picture book, a younger sibling who has missed out on seeing a deer sets off alone in search of one." --Shelf Awareness

About the Author

KALLIE GEORGE is an author, editor and creative writing teacher living in Vancouver, BC. Her upcoming picture book If I Couldn't Be Anne continues her successful work adapting the Anne of Green Gables series for a new generation and follows Anne Arrives, Anne's Kindred Spirits and Goodnight, Anne. She has written other acclaimed books for children, including The Lost Gift; Secrets I Know; Duck, Duck, Dinosaur and The Melancholic Mermaid, as well as The Magical Animal Adoption Agency series and The Heartwood Hotel series. She has also taught writing workshops for children and adults across Canada, as well as in South Korea, and currently teaches at Emily Carr University.

ELLY MACKAY is an acclaimed paper artist and children's book author and illustrator. She wrote and illustrated the picture book Red Sky at Night, as well as Waltz of the Snowflakes, If You Hold a Seed and Butterfly Park, among others. Elly's art was also featured on the covers of Tundra's reissues of L. M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon series. Her distinctive pieces are made using paper and ink, and then are set into a miniature theater and photographed, giving them their unique three-dimensional quality. Elly lives in Owen Sound, Ontario, with her two children.