“In every picture, in every land, the queen always held a purse in her hand.” So begins prolific Toronto author Frieda Wishinsky’s latest offering for young readers. Just what is in that purse? wonders Kay, the book’s bobble-headed preschool heroine. Could it be money, or an emerald necklace? What could a queen possibly need to carry with her?

In rhyming quatrains that lilt and bounce, Wishinsky teases the reader with what Her Highness could be concealing. She even drops a misleading clue along the way. When Kay finally catches a glimpse inside the royal purse, she discovers the queen’s secret. But rather than putting the riddle’s answer in words, Wishinsky allows children to figure things out based on clues in the illustrations. This tactic creates an opportunity for dialogue between the adult reader and young listener, while engaging the child’s imagination. And what kid doesn’t love the chance to solve a puzzle?

Illustrator Loufane, who makes her home in Montreal, is also a video game designer. The collision of the two worlds makes for a visually striking book that is full of saturated, candy-coloured hues and big, sweeping, curvy lines. It’s a cartoonish, whimsical romp through a child’s imagination.

The Queen’s Secret is an adorable, appropriately short book that is playful and instructional at the same time. Even after the secret has been revealed (a revelation that is bound to bring smiles to adult faces as well), repetition-loving little ones will be tickled as pink as the book’s cover to play the guessing game again and again. Add this one to any stack of bedtime favourites.