The Secret Fawn

Illustrated by Elly MacKay
Ebook (EPUB FXL CPB)
On sale Feb 02, 2021 | 40 Pages | 978-0-7352-6517-2
Age 3-7 years | Preschool - 2
Reading Level: Lexile AD430L
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.
  • NOMINEE | 2023
    Chocolate Lily Award
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
KALLIE GEORGE is an author, editor and creative writing teacher. She has written numerous books for early readers, including the first five books in the Anne chapter book series (Anne Arrives, Anne's Kindred Spirits, Anne's School Days, Anne's Tragical Tea Party and Anne Dares), The Magical Animal Adoption Agency series, The Heartwood Hotel series and The Wings of Olympus series, as well as numerous picture books, such as Goodnight, Anne, If I Couldn't Be Anne, Merry Christmas, Anne, The Secret Fawn, I am a Meadow Mermaid and The Lost Gift. Kallie currently lives in Vancouver, BC. View titles by Kallie George
ELLY MACKAY is a paper artist and a children's book author and illustrator. She wrote and illustrated the picture books If You Hold a Seed, Shadow Chasers and Butterfly Park, among others. She studied illustration and printmaking at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. Her distinctive pieces are made using paper and ink, and then are set into a miniature theatre and photographed, giving them their unique three-dimensional quality. Elly lives in Owen Sound, Ontario, with her husband and two children. View titles by Elly MacKay

About

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.

Awards

  • NOMINEE | 2023
    Chocolate Lily Award

Reviews

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

Author

KALLIE GEORGE is an author, editor and creative writing teacher. She has written numerous books for early readers, including the first five books in the Anne chapter book series (Anne Arrives, Anne's Kindred Spirits, Anne's School Days, Anne's Tragical Tea Party and Anne Dares), The Magical Animal Adoption Agency series, The Heartwood Hotel series and The Wings of Olympus series, as well as numerous picture books, such as Goodnight, Anne, If I Couldn't Be Anne, Merry Christmas, Anne, The Secret Fawn, I am a Meadow Mermaid and The Lost Gift. Kallie currently lives in Vancouver, BC. View titles by Kallie George
ELLY MACKAY is a paper artist and a children's book author and illustrator. She wrote and illustrated the picture books If You Hold a Seed, Shadow Chasers and Butterfly Park, among others. She studied illustration and printmaking at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. Her distinctive pieces are made using paper and ink, and then are set into a miniature theatre and photographed, giving them their unique three-dimensional quality. Elly lives in Owen Sound, Ontario, with her husband and two children. View titles by Elly MacKay