Hiding Heidi

PreS-Gr 2—Heidi has a special talent. She is a natural at hiding. She always wants to play hide-and-seek with her friends, and they agree until one day Heidi hides too well. At her birthday party, she hides and her friends can't find her, so they go on to have fun at the party without her. The next day, Heidi decides to play different games with her friends—games that her friends are good at. The four friends have lots of fun, and Heidi realizes that they don't always need to play hide-and-seek just for her. This is illustrator Woodcock's first picture book. She also has a line of greeting cards, and this is reflected in the illustrations for this book. Each page could be a greeting card, with bright, translucent colors against a cream background. Soft charcoal lines with a smattering of dots subtly shade the hand-cut rubber-stamped and stenciled images. Geometric shapes naturally compel readers' eyes to find Heidi's perfect hiding spot on the page. It will be difficult not to be charmed by Heidi and her chameleon talent, and the subtle lesson about being a good friend is a bonus.