Hide and Seek

A game of hide-and-seek in the forest might lead to unexpected discoveries. Could there be something hidden in the trees?

When their dog goes missing, siblings Poppy and Cy decide to play hide-and-seek in the woods to distract themselves. Poppy counts to ten and sets out to look for Cy, but she can’t find him anywhere. Deeper into the woods she goes, looking for her brother, until she hears a rustling noise nearby. What could it be? Surreal forest scenes heighten the mood of the story, holding plenty of hidden images to discover. Award-winning picture book creator Anthony Browne captures one of those childhood moments when imaginations get a bit carried away, then reassures readers with a comforting ending.Shadows and shapes invite the eye to see hidden forms and make meaning of them...The perspective also zooms in and out to underscore readers' alignment with the children and to enhance their sense of the vast, eerie forest...Engaging.
—Kirkus Reviews

A mixture of fantasy and realism will have readers poring over the paintings, which differ in size from page to page, as they notice objects that are there but shouldn’t be. A list of 18 items readers can look for within the illustrations is found after the happy conclusion of Browne’s fiftieth publication.
—Booklist

To take their minds off Goldie, their missing dog, Cy and Poppy opt for a game of hide-and-seek in the woods...The mood of the visuals immediately lightens as they head back to their small mobile home at the edge of the woods—warm and cheery, with a wide-open door. An appended list alerts readers to some of those unusual objects hidden in the forest (lest anyone thinks his or her imagination was overreacting during the first read) and encourages seeking out more.
—The Horn Book

Using spare words and subtle artistic details, Browne captures slippery, mysterious emotional shifts, from play to fear and back again, that many children will recognize.
—Publishers Weekly

Browne’s evocative surrealistic artwork will be appreciated by those who enjoy slightly scary and seek-and-find picture books.
—School Library JournalAnthony Browne is a former British Children’s Laureate, a two-time winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal, and the first British winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration. He has written and illustrated more than forty books, including Willy and the Cloud, Gorilla, What If . . . ?, and Little Beauty. Anthony Browne lives in Kent, England.