The Wise Woman and Her Secret

by Eve Merriam

People from far and wide journey to the wise woman to discover the secret of her wisdom, but their search is to no avail, until a little girl finds the secret that the others have missed

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

40 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1991

About the author

Born as Eve Moskovitz, American poet and writer

Reviews

[Hannah Grosse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great lesson! This book is not only inspirational, it speaks truth. All of the people who went up with Jenny were so focused on their own selfish gain that they didn't even stop to enjoy the beauty in everything. Jenny, on the other hand, chose to acknowledge the worth in what she found. She paid attention to the detailed handiwork all around her, instead of looking for a quick answer to an easy life. In the end, it was she who, by accident, discovered what everyone else had been so impatiently searching for. This book is a very good parallel to the way we seem to search for wisdom in the real world. We want wisdom, we want it now, and we don't want to give up anything to get it. We don't like it when life is not immediate, which is unfortunate because the greatest things in life most always take patience. If wisdom was easily obtained, it would not be cherished. Wisdom is left for those who truly wish to be wise, who are willing to take the time to search with their hearts. And this book captured that beautifully. Also, the illustrations are magnificently detailed and full of color.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wouldn't it be nice if everyone understood the wise woman's secret? This sets the tone for studying science, whether it be nature study or quantum physics. "Because, you see, the secret of wisdom is to be curious--to take the time to look closely, to use all your senses to see and touch and taste and smell and hear. To keep on wandering and wondering."

This isn't really a folktale, but it's not a 'fun' read such as Pinkalicious and other picture books. It does have a lesson

[Kerri Harshaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

The text throughout this book are wonderfully descriptive. You would be able to imagine the pictures without even seeing the illustrations. After the village searched and searched for the secret to the wise woman and her village, it was a young girl that retrieved the secret from the wise woman. The secret ended up being each individual's own curiosity about life. This story would be great to read to children to reinforce the importance of curiosity.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jenny and many people from her village make the long journey to the wise woman to learn the secret of her wisdom. The wise woman tells them to discover it for themselves and they begin to search. Will they figure out the secret of wisdom?

Jenny is a great kid who's curiosity serves her well. Even though there are other kids pictured, she is the only one who takes the time to really see the world around her and question it. The wise woman's words are true.

[Angela Silvas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about an old/wise lady who knows the secret of wisdom and Jenny, a little girl who learns the wise lady's secret. I use the "I wonder.." strategy of asking questions about what the students wonder/thinking during the read aloud. The secret turns out to be that students should be curious about the world and to always ask questions if they wonder....

[Giulia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read aloud book for asking questions/ inferring. A bit of a longer read for the library, but well worth it. Kids are captivated and I found they got the message in the end. Very descriptive and has lovely pictures.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

amazing