Your Own Best Secret Place

by Byrd Baylor, Peter Parnall

Considers the pleasures to be found in one's very own private place, whether it be a hollow in a tree, a sandy gully, or a secret sand dune.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1991

About the author

Byrd Baylor has always lived in the Southwest, mainly in Southern Arizona near the Mexican border. She is at home with the southwestern desert cliffs and mesas, rocks and open skies. She is comforted by desert storms. The Tohono O’odham people, previously known as the Papagos, are her neighbors and close friends. She has focused many of her writings on the region’s landscape, peoples, and values. Through her books of rhythmic prose poetry, written primarily for children, she celebrates the beauty of nature and her own feelings of rapport with it.
Byrd has written many books for children.

Her books have been honored with many prestigious children’s book awards, including the Caldecott Award and the Texas Bluebonnet Award. All of her books are full of the places and the peoples that she knows. She thinks of these books as her own kind of private love songs to the place she calls home.

Reviews

[Etta Mcquade · Rating 5 out of 5]

The prose of this book is hauntingly beautiful. As Emily Dickenson said, "Heavenly hurt it gives us." This hurt me to read. I wondered about William Cottonwood and the things he left in the secret place. I felt the beauty of the author's desert descriptions, and I thought of my own childhood secret places. One was an apple tree from which I watched the world. Another was a swamp at the other side of the woods where the frogs and birds were. As I read the book, I felt like crying.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

A warm story that explores the concept of everyone having a secret place of where they go to spend some quiet time, and reflect.

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I've found another favorite author/illustrator duo.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another memorable book. I remember having several secret places when I was young. I love this gentle story and how the author learns about William Cottonwood through discovering his secret place. Another great book to share with a child.

[Leo and Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

my child and I loved this one. it sparked a discussion and I was able to share my childhood secret place with him. every Byrd Baylor title gets 5 starts in our book.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another treasure by the one of the best teams in picture books for all ages. I'm going to let this one go; if I feel the need I can reread it on openlibrary.org (and so can you!).