My big secret by Felice Arena

A wonderfully witty look at supporting your team, the family in this story all favour the red team. The whole family wears red scarves, red jumpers, red beanies, red dresses, one even has a red skateboard, but our hapless narrator favours the blue team. When the family goes to the team game, they sit in the area where all the red supporters sit, all with red as the only colour worn. Our narrator sits quietly not wanting to draw attention to himself, and barracks along with the rest. He would love to get an autograph from the blues player he sees in the supermarket. At school on the Wear Your Colours Day, he would love to wear blue but has to wear red and play with the red team.

But one night as the family is watching a game between the red and blue teams, the Blue team scores the last goal. He calls out, ‘yes, yes, yes’ realising that he has outed himself, telling his family about his secret. He fears his family’s wrath, but Dad simply says that he is loved no matter what team he follows. 

A wonderful look at difference within the family and how this is overcome with love and support by them all. Everyone accepts the sibling’s different leanings and supports him without question. And of course there is a neat twist in the tale as the last page is turned.

Hilarious illustrations perfectly delineate the different leanings of the family, although for the first half of the book, as he goes along with the family’s interest we see only red. Kids will love the use of red, spotting all the ways people show their allegiance. And use of the pig family as the protagonists is hilarious. Kids will love following the things this family does together: going to the match, watching TV, shopping, reflecting the events in their own lives which supports the family’s togetherness.

The bright bold illustrations will entrance the readers as they follow the little pig’s dilemma and wonder how they could solve it in their own family.

And talking of following a team, there are lots of examples in the community where this could be seen and compared as the book is read. Nobody seems exempt from responding to ‘which team do you follow’, and of course this is not only confined to sport.

Themes: Difference, Acceptance, Diversity, Barracking, Humour, Teams, Loyalty.

Fran Knight