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The Quiet Book
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this is a slow-paced book that will quiet young children and prepare them for bedtime. Kids can explore the idea of "many kinds of quiet" -- and also learn the importance of finding peaceful moments to reflect and rest. The animals that populate this book are very sweet in their quiet moments. They don't behave perfectly; one is quiet after drawing on the wall, but even this act can impart a precious lesson about reflecting on mistakes.
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What's the story?
"There are many kinds of quiet," the book begins, and provides reasons that are sweet ("First one awake quiet) -- and a bit sassy ("Thinking of a good reason you were drawing on the wall quiet.") Each page has one line of text page, with a tender illustration of that kind of quiet -- and these illustrations are filled with sweet animals. For instance, the "Tucking in teddy" page has a drawing of a bunny rabbit standing on a stool in his room, putting his teddy bear to sleep on one of his shelves as an iguana looks on.
Is it any good?
This sweetly illustrated book, filled with bears, birds, bunnies, iguanas, and moose, will literally quiet children down before bedtime. It may take some explaining for very young children to understand what "kinds of quiet" means, but once they understand, they will enjoy lingering over each illustration and thinking about what each one means. The illustrations match the gentle theme, harkening back to a simpler, quieter time.
The matte pencil-drawn illustrations of animals, primarily in shades of brown and gray with a bit of color thrown in, match the gentle theme of the book and have an old-fashioned look.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about the different kinds of quiet. Which ones do you feel? Can you think of other examples?
The book explains different kinds of quiet, including "Thinking of a good reason you were drawing on the wall quiet." Why is it important to stop and think when you've made a mistake? What do you think about when you are this kind of quiet?
Book details
- Author: Deborah Underwood
- Illustrator: Renata Liwska
- Genre: Picture Book
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Children's Books
- Publication date: April 12, 2010
- Number of pages: 32
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