Two young children tour their noisy house with fresh eyes, discovering along the way that all is not as it seems. Featuring heat-sensitive, color-changing ink on every page, this book contains dozens of delightful surprises. Among them: a giant dog slumbering in a piano, a wishing puddle full of dimes, a raccoon that is actually a robot, and a camera that is secretly made of cheese.
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"This subversive book from comics artist Crane suggests that strange and sinister truths lurk just beneath the surface of everyday life—and that children are best equipped to suss them out. Multiple hidden objects are concealed by heat-sensitive black ink on each spread, requiring vigorous rubbing to get them to emerge. A girl shares secrets with a boy as she shepherds him through a house where wobbly adult party guests chat, play instruments, and dance on furniture. Spilled cocktails, shoes, and other stray objects are strewn across the floor. 'One of Mr. Vesper’s legs is a python,' the girl explains (rubbing the black ink makes the python appear), and 'the accordion’s got three cats and a handful of forks in it.' It’s all true. There’s a creepy end-of-days feeling to the project, but kids and adults alike should appreciate the underlying message that “you can find new secrets... but only if you listen... very... close.' All ages."
—Publisher's Weekly, Children's Review
"Totally worth looking at again and again."
—Very Short List
"Keep Our Secrets Is a magical book.... A blast, not only for the ink gimmick but also because Crane’s illustration style is wonderful. You could read it straight through without vanishing any of the ink and it’s a pretty cute book by itself. All of the hidden images are just the icing on the cake."
—Wired.com's GeekDad
"Older readers will pick up on the subtext of two kids on their own trying to make sense of the confusing world of adults, but all ages will marvel at the clever drawings exposed beneath the disappearing ink."
—Apartment Therapy
"I thought it would be hard to impress my [eight-year-old] son with the Keep Our Secrets board book... Oh, how I was wrong... it’s definitely a book I’ll be gifting to new parents."
—Alphamom’s "Must List"
“During our first read of Keep Our Secrets, the number of times 'This is so cool' was uttered easily outnumbered the pages of this inventive board book... the effect is downright magical."
—Takes a Village
“While e-books may be turning all of our favorite childhood stories into animated pictures and text, the analog book is making a comeback [with] Keep Our Secrets."
—A New Day's Work
“[A] whimsical, unique book. Hidden behind the fun of discovering secret pictures is a lesson about careful observation and an absurdist commentary on the difference between outward appearance and innermost realities.”
—Buffalo News
"Keep Our Secrets by Jordan Crane, a printed book that incorporates a very cool technology.[An] amazing little book.”
—Yummy Mummy
“New from McSweeney’s/McMullen’s comes a board book like no other, I guarantee it. Keep Our Secrets (to be read in a whisper) by Jordan Crane will be heralded by children everywhere as a ‘magical’ book.
—Muse
"The novelty of this book has obvious kid-appeal but add to that the fun illustrations and you’ll have kids wanting to uncover the secrets over and over again."
—Babyology
A recommendation for parents on Media Darlings!
Featured on Daily Candy!
—Publisher's Weekly, Children's Review
"Totally worth looking at again and again."
—Very Short List
"Keep Our Secrets Is a magical book.... A blast, not only for the ink gimmick but also because Crane’s illustration style is wonderful. You could read it straight through without vanishing any of the ink and it’s a pretty cute book by itself. All of the hidden images are just the icing on the cake."
—Wired.com's GeekDad
"Older readers will pick up on the subtext of two kids on their own trying to make sense of the confusing world of adults, but all ages will marvel at the clever drawings exposed beneath the disappearing ink."
—Apartment Therapy
"I thought it would be hard to impress my [eight-year-old] son with the Keep Our Secrets board book... Oh, how I was wrong... it’s definitely a book I’ll be gifting to new parents."
—Alphamom’s "Must List"
“During our first read of Keep Our Secrets, the number of times 'This is so cool' was uttered easily outnumbered the pages of this inventive board book... the effect is downright magical."
—Takes a Village
“While e-books may be turning all of our favorite childhood stories into animated pictures and text, the analog book is making a comeback [with] Keep Our Secrets."
—A New Day's Work
“[A] whimsical, unique book. Hidden behind the fun of discovering secret pictures is a lesson about careful observation and an absurdist commentary on the difference between outward appearance and innermost realities.”
—Buffalo News
"Keep Our Secrets by Jordan Crane, a printed book that incorporates a very cool technology.[An] amazing little book.”
—Yummy Mummy
“New from McSweeney’s/McMullen’s comes a board book like no other, I guarantee it. Keep Our Secrets (to be read in a whisper) by Jordan Crane will be heralded by children everywhere as a ‘magical’ book.
—Muse
"The novelty of this book has obvious kid-appeal but add to that the fun illustrations and you’ll have kids wanting to uncover the secrets over and over again."
—Babyology
A recommendation for parents on Media Darlings!
Featured on Daily Candy!
Praise for The Clouds Above:
"Crane’s drawings are clean, yet full of nuance; his writing is playful and sharp. The artistry is in the detail." — The New Yorker
"Crane’s drawings are clean, yet full of nuance; his writing is playful and sharp. The artistry is in the detail." — The New Yorker
About the Author
Jordan Crane publishes both his own and other people’s comics through his press, Red Ink. He edited and designed the ambitious anthology NON (which won several AIGA 365 awards), and publishes his semi-regular solo comic Uptight through Fantagraphics. Crane currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two daughters.
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Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Board book|Amazon Verified Purchase
UPDATED INFO: When I posted this review, there were ZERO reviews for this product. But after my negative review, two glowing reviews suddenly appeared, saying how wonderful it works. Neither of these reviews are "verified" by Amazon, which means the people who wrote them didn't purchase the book from here - they just happened to coincidentally stumble upon my review within hours of each other (and within hours of my first review). Not only that, but also magically, these two reviews have been marked as "helpful" while my Amazon-verified, honest review has been marked as unhelpful twice.
If you believe in coincidence, ignore my review. But in my opinion, something is hinky here and it ain't me. THIS BOOK DOES NOT WORK AS INTENDED.
--------------------
I saw a YouTube video back in July 2011 showing how this book works. The idea is great: anywhere in the book where there is black, you rub on it and the heat from your fingers makes the black ink translucent, letting you see the picture behind it. So, for example, you might see a man in a black trench coat, but when you rub on the coat you see that it is actually two "little people" - one standing on the other's shoulders.
Even though I knew it would take a long time to receive the book (it took about six months), I was willing to wait because I thought my kids would love it.
Unfortunately, the book doesn't work. You can only make the black ink turn clear after vigorously rubbing for a long time. By the time you get one portion of the picture visible, parts you have already rubbed have turned back to black. I let two of my kids try the book: a 5-year-old and an 8-year-old and neither of them could get the heat-sensitive ink to work, no matter how much they rubbed. When I used it, I quickly grew tired of the "work" of reading it and gave up after three pages.
The book arrived with a sticker on it that says "For best results, use a hair dryer." Really? I actually have to get out a hair dryer and use it to read this? My kids can't read it on their own? Not only that, but using a hair dryer causes every bit of black on the page to turn clear at once, which ruins the surprise of finding out what is coming up next.
Buyer beware: the concept is awesome and the content is great, but the execution is a big FAIL.
If you believe in coincidence, ignore my review. But in my opinion, something is hinky here and it ain't me. THIS BOOK DOES NOT WORK AS INTENDED.
--------------------
I saw a YouTube video back in July 2011 showing how this book works. The idea is great: anywhere in the book where there is black, you rub on it and the heat from your fingers makes the black ink translucent, letting you see the picture behind it. So, for example, you might see a man in a black trench coat, but when you rub on the coat you see that it is actually two "little people" - one standing on the other's shoulders.
Even though I knew it would take a long time to receive the book (it took about six months), I was willing to wait because I thought my kids would love it.
Unfortunately, the book doesn't work. You can only make the black ink turn clear after vigorously rubbing for a long time. By the time you get one portion of the picture visible, parts you have already rubbed have turned back to black. I let two of my kids try the book: a 5-year-old and an 8-year-old and neither of them could get the heat-sensitive ink to work, no matter how much they rubbed. When I used it, I quickly grew tired of the "work" of reading it and gave up after three pages.
The book arrived with a sticker on it that says "For best results, use a hair dryer." Really? I actually have to get out a hair dryer and use it to read this? My kids can't read it on their own? Not only that, but using a hair dryer causes every bit of black on the page to turn clear at once, which ruins the surprise of finding out what is coming up next.
Buyer beware: the concept is awesome and the content is great, but the execution is a big FAIL.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By bmxsara
Format:Board book
I bought this board book for my 4 yr old from a museum in DC, so I was able to see how much rubbing was involved to get the pictures to disappear prior to bringing it home. Now, my 4 yr old HATES loud noises, but nothing, not even the dreaded hair dryer keeps her from this book. She will have us go through and make all the pictures appear, and upon the suggestion of her grandmother, place the book in the fridge to make the pictures go dark again quickly. Repeat about 3-4 times. She absolutely goes bananas over this book.
One thing I have noticed is that after you go through the book with a hair drier and allow the pictures to go dark (at room temp) it's very easy to go back through and rub the ink to make the pictures appear. So for those that are not crazy about using a hair drier with their kids, this might be a passable work around.
Concept is still cool, hence the 4 stars.
One thing I have noticed is that after you go through the book with a hair drier and allow the pictures to go dark (at room temp) it's very easy to go back through and rub the ink to make the pictures appear. So for those that are not crazy about using a hair drier with their kids, this might be a passable work around.
Concept is still cool, hence the 4 stars.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By K. Dyer
Format:Board book
A friend bought us this book at a comic book convention. It takes awhile to read it (I prefer the hot cup of coffee method) which is all to the good. The quirks and double meanings sink in. It is a little creepy, and a little sad, and the normalcy of the kids dodging a rather adult party to go outside into the cool fresh air is more comforting than I can express.
It's not a book, more of an event -- and I hate pop-up books and I'm not usually into novelty.
My kids like it, but it's not a kids book. I help them read it, but I know only their innocence protects them from the sad parts.
It's not a book, more of an event -- and I hate pop-up books and I'm not usually into novelty.
My kids like it, but it's not a kids book. I help them read it, but I know only their innocence protects them from the sad parts.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating for the children
A fun and exciting exploration activity for me, I mean for the children. It works with a small heated bean bag.
Published 26 days ago by John Evans
1.0 out of 5 stars
Ridiculous
This book requires a hair dryer to reveal the hidden images. It is a great concept but laughably executed. Kids cannot read it alone and it makes for a loud and clumsy read. Read more
Published 15 months ago by tapegirl
1.0 out of 5 stars
Shouldn't require a hair dryer!
I ordered two copies of this book directly from the publisher (and paid the premium price) to get them in time for xmas. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Mickey Kataria
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing
When I first read about this book, the blurb said the hidden pictures would be revealed by rubbing your warm fingers on the black ink. I waited for months for my copy to come. Read more
Published 16 months ago by L. Sabo
3.0 out of 5 stars
fun book but......
Pre-Ordered this book in Nov. 2011 after I read about the concept and saw the youTube video about the book. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Hawkins
2.0 out of 5 stars
Good thought but doesn't work
I'm sad that I can only give this book two stars, but that's because it simply doesn't work.
I did finally manage to rub away the black ink, but the amount of effort... Read more
I did finally manage to rub away the black ink, but the amount of effort... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Donald Zirilli
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