The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups

The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups

revealed and illustrated by David Wisniewski. 1998. New York: Harper Collins. (0688153399). 

Author/Illustrator Website: none

Media: cut watercolor paper illustrations

Awards and Honors: none

Annotation: 

David Wisniewski reveals the real reasons why grown-ups tell kids to eat their vegetables, comb their hair and not jump on the bed.

Personal Reaction:

     The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups is a silly exploration of the real reasons grown-ups have for telling kids to eat their veggies, drink their milk and not play with their food. It's a file of top-secret, classified grown-up knowledge. Wisniewski's trademark paper collages work perfectly as the illustrations- the cover is created to resemble a manila envelope stamped "confidential" and "top secret", and the crumpled documents inside give the book a realistic look. Wisniewski comes up with some farfetched reasons behind parents' rules (don't jump on your bed because mattresses are actually living, wooly creatures that might awake, don't pick your nose because your brain might deflate) that will leave kids in stitches.