silence

Be Quiet! by Ryan T. Higgins

| Tasha

Be Quiet! by Ryan T. Higgins

Be Quiet! by Ryan T. Higgins (9781484731628, Amazon)

Rupert the mouse has decided to create a wordless picture book. Unfortunately though, his friends just keep making noise and ruining everything. The two other mice even talk about not talking and keeping the book wordless. They try to help make strong illustrations, but don’t quite understand the concept. Then they start bringing new ideas into the illustrations: vegetarian vegetables, potatoes, superheroes, and even some high brow art. They try miming because they know that is silent, but it still doesn’t stop them chatting. Rupert finally loses it in the end with hilarious results.

This book is so funny that it will have readers laughing out loud. Higgins, author of Mother Bruce, has a great sense of comedic timing, adding just the right commentary by the mice at the best moments. The series of different illustrations is wonderfully funny as are Rupert’s reactions to the other mice. There is a natural quality to their conversations that make it all the more believable that they simply are unaware they are still talking to one another.

The illustrations are exactly what one would look for in an artistic picture book that is wordless, which makes the premise all the more funny. Set in a lush natural area, there are woods, running brooks and other elements. The three mice are cleverly drawn, each distinct from one another in color and attitude.

This is a natural read aloud that will be a wild one to share with a preschool group. Brace yourself for lots of laughs. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

 

On Duck Pond by Jane Yolen

| Tasha

On Duck Pond by Jane Yolen

On Duck Pond by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Bob Marstall (9781943645220, Amazon)

This is the second book in the children’s picture book series by the award-winning duo of Yolen and Marstall that is done in conjunction with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. A boy and his dog take a walk in a new setting. This time it is near a pond where everything is very quiet but soon the ducks arrive and break the silence with their splashing and quacking. The other creatures at the pond are startled and move away, including frogs, turtles, a heron and the tadpoles. Soon the pond goes back to being still and quiet and the other animals come out of hiding.

Yolen’s poetry is particularly effective. She pays such attention to small details not only in the animals as they react to the ducks but to the reflections in the water as they go from mirror-like to shattered to reflective once again. The water itself reacts similarly to the animals and the sounds, it’s a lovely connection that is clearly done and yet poetically presented allowing a sense of discovery for the reader.

Marstall’s illustrations are detailed and wonderfully natural. They embrace the greens of the surrounding land and also the colors of the animals themselves and the water. He uses plenty of detail on the animals themselves, showing them up close to the reader so that one can almost smell the pond water on the pages.

A grand look at a small pond and its vibrations throughout a boy’s day and life. Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

 

The Sound of Silence by Katrina Goldsaito

| Tasha

The Sound of Silence by Katrina Goldsaito

The Sound of Silence by Katrina Goldsaito, illustrated by Julia Kuo (InfoSoup)

Yoshio heads out of his house and into the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. He hears all sorts of things, like splashing puddles and rain on his umbrella. Then he hears the sound of a woman playing a koto and visits with her. He asks her what her favorite sound is and she replies that it is the sound of silence. Yoshio spent the rest of the day looking for silence. But there was always some kind of sound, others talking, the breeze in the bamboo, traffic and trains. He couldn’t find silence anywhere, not in the bath where water dripped or in bed where he could hear a radio playing far away. He went to school early the next day, still seeking silence and then for one moment, he heard it. Even inside he was still. He discovered it was in between all of the other sounds, just waiting for him there.

Goldsaito has written a beautiful contemplative picture book where seeking the sound of silence is a search for finding your own inner place of peace. Even as the book looks towards silence, it celebrates the other sounds of a bustling city, a busy school and a family at home. As the sounds grow quieter, the book slows too allowing readers to see the way towards silence as they move through the book.

Kuo’s illustrations are gorgeous with their fine lines and details. They capture a city with many inhabitants walking together, traffic moving, and plenty of action. They also show the beauty of the bamboo garden, the loving family eating together and then Yoshio eager to find the solution to hearing silence. Readers will hear silence on many of the pages thanks to the beauty of the illustrations and the moment it takes to really look at them.

A very special picture book that will speak to many readers in our busy modern world who are themselves looking for a peaceful break in their day. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

 

Review: The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

| Tasha

The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin (InfoSoup)

Suzy knows that things happen for a reason. She loves nature and all of the facts about it and the way that science makes sense. But when her best friend drowns, Suzy just can’t make sense of it. They had fought before Franny left on vacation and now there is no way for Suzy to fix that. Suzy retreats into silence, refusing to speak to her parents or to anyone at school. As Suzy searches for a reason, she discovers that Franny might have been stung by a jellyfish. It is up to Suzy to prove that that is what happened and to let everyone see that there was a cause for Franny’s death. Filled with natural wonder and tangible grief, this book is an elegant and powerful look at how one child copes with loss.

Benjamin writes about nature with such awe, sharing facts about animals as if they were precious jewels. The facts about jellyfish alone are profound and concerning, allowing readers to understand Suzy’s fascination with them. Yet though these facts are in the book, it is Suzy’s inability to cope with reality that shines. Her unwillingness to accept that death can be an accident without any reason at all will speak to all readers.

Suzy is a great character. Filled with a powerful and all-encompassing grief, she becomes silent and yet somehow does not withdraw from life. Instead her silence allows her time to be more creative, more thoughtful about the loss she has experienced even while she is in denial about what has happened. Benjamin also beautifully tackles the grieving process, mingling it with the difficulties of middle school. Filled with flashbacks about the changing friendship of Franny and Suzy, this book addresses the way that even best friends grow apart.

Beautiful and luminous, this book is a powerful look at grief, loss and the way that we process our lives. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Tiptoe Tapirs by Hanmin Kim

| Tasha

Tiptoe Tapirs by Hanmin Kim

Tiptoe Tapirs by Hanmin Kim (InfoSoup)

The jungle was a very noisy place with all of the animals making the most noise they can. The elephants went BOOM, the rhinos went BAM-BAM, the hornbill went CAW, and the ape went HOO-HAA-HOO-HAA! But there was one animal that wasn’t noisy at all, Tapir and Little Tapir. They were very quiet, tiptoeing through the jungle silently. When Little Tapir wanted to go to the Great Puddle for her third birthday, the two tapirs moved silently to get there and then enjoyed the lovely mud. Then out of the blue, a leopard attacked the tapirs. The leopard ran after them with loud THUDDING steps while the tapirs ran silently. The tapirs were almost eaten by the leopard when a gun shot rang out. The leopard was terrified, but the kind tapirs had a solution to save them all.

Kim has woven a fable-like story around his love for tapirs. The book is a delight to read aloud from the loud noises of the other animals to the hush-hush of the tapirs and their quiet silence. It’s a wonderful contrast that is great fun to act out. Kim uses repetition and solid writing to create a traditional feel in this story. There is also a lot of humor throughout, the noises are wild, the mud cakes are fresh. The focus on kindness as the solution in the end is also a treat of its own.

The art also has a dynamic mix of traditional and modern feel. Done in watercolor, ink and marker, the illustrations are filled with organic shapes of leaves and trees. Colors range from bright washes of watercolor to the darkest black of ink. The shapes of the animals themselves are delicately done, particularly the tapirs who both hide in the jungle settings and dance on the page.

Whether you are sharing this with a loud or quiet little animal, this book is a great pick to share aloud. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from ARC received from Holiday House.

The Quiet Book

| Tasha

The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Renata Liwska

There are many kind of quiet.  Quiet can cozy.  Quiet can be tense.  Quiet can be worth savoring.  Quiet can be gone in a flash.  This book celebrates the many kinds of quiet, offering examples of the many moments of quiet in a day.  Starting with the quiet of being the first one awake, the book ends with the quiet of being sound asleep.  In between, readers will find examples of quiet that are funny, surprising and poignant.  This is a simple premise executed with great finesse.

Underwood’s one-per-page examples of quiet each end with the word “quiet.”  As you read through the book aloud, you will discover which of the examples make you hush your words even more and which examples are exuberant despite the silence.  Deftly done, the examples are varied and interesting.  Liwska’s illustrations add to the gentle humor, offering visual examples of quiet.  Her pencil and digital images are soft and witty at the same time.

Recommended for bedtime reading, this book is perfect for snuggling under the covers and reading to a little one.  Happy cuddles!  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Check out the websites of Deborah Underwood and Renata Liwska