Mr. Hare's Big Secret by Hannah Dale Ages 2-5 32 pages Doubleday January 2016 Hardcover     If the animals in the forest want to know the hare’s secret, they will have to dance under the cherry tree. First Mouse wants to know, “Oh, yes, please, Mr. Hare. I love secrets!” The mouse proceeds to do a jiggle dance while the hare does a dance with hopping. All this commotion stirs the interest of a fox, a duck and a frog. They do their own dance movements under the tree in the hopes of hearing Mr. Hare’s secret. When Mr. Owl comes home, he cannot land properly on his tree branch because all the hopping, jiggling, trotting, wiggling, and leaping makes him bounce around too much to get a proper grip. This causes the tree to shake, and the surprise falls down to the ground where the animals can feast on the first cherries of spring. Mr. Hare’s goal was the result of a hunger, but it involved teamwork and everyone was rewarded for their contribution. All the animals, no matter their size, was able to add to the dance. The author’s use of repetition adds to this cumulative sort of tale. It will be a springtime hit.     web reviews   Tanya Boudreau/2016 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)