The Quiet Book

( 12 )

Overview

All quiet is not created equal. In this irresistibly charming picture book, many different quiet moments are captured, from the anticipation-heavy “Top of the roller coaster quiet” to the shocked-into-silence “First look at your new hairstyle quiet.” The impossibly sweet bears, rabbits, fish, birds, and iguanas are all rendered in soft pencils and colored digitally, and, as in all of the best picture books, the illustrations propel the story far beyond the words. A sure-to-be-a-classic bedtime favorite.   ...

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Hardcover (Library Binding)    
A book with a specially fortified binding and durable hardcover designed to withstand repeated use. Often used for children's titles and usually more expensive than standard hardcover editions.
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Overview

All quiet is not created equal. In this irresistibly charming picture book, many different quiet moments are captured, from the anticipation-heavy “Top of the roller coaster quiet” to the shocked-into-silence “First look at your new hairstyle quiet.” The impossibly sweet bears, rabbits, fish, birds, and iguanas are all rendered in soft pencils and colored digitally, and, as in all of the best picture books, the illustrations propel the story far beyond the words. A sure-to-be-a-classic bedtime favorite.   Awards: 2011 ALA Notable Children's Book, 2010–2011, New York Times bestseller, 2011 CCBC Choices, 2011 NCTE Notable Children's Trade Book, 2010 New York Times Notable Book, 2010 Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, 2010 School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

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Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher
"A delightful and enchanting choice for storytime or sharing one-on-one."—School Library Journal, starred review

"The most moving scenes leave space for imagining.'Best friends don't need to talk,' for example, is illustrated with a blissful scene of togetherness that children will relate to their own lives."—Booklist

"This treasure of a book—which is appropriately gentle in both its understated text and artwork—catalogues many sorts of quiet that readers will recognize instantly."—Publishers Weekly

"This gallery of quietude works for bedtime or calming down while also acknowledging that some quiet moods are less than happy...The final sequence—a nighttime car ride in the snow, peaceful steps to bedtime—makes a comforting end. Soothing and layered."—Kirkus Reviews

"Sweet and hypnotizing, but not too simple, Renata Liwska's illustrations give The Quiet Book a sense of magic." —The Huffington Post

Children's Literature - Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz
The animals arranged across the jacket, fingers on shushing lips, and the bunnies asleep under books on the cover, assure us that this is indeed a quiet book. Many kinds of quiet are noted, one per page, from: "First one awake quiet" and "Hide-and-seek quiet," through the many quiets through the day at school, home, and play. Finally we reach the "Story time quiet," "Bedtime kiss quiet," and "Sound asleep quiet," for a perfect good-night read-aloud. Liwska's matching quiet pictures are subtle pencil drawings, colored digitally in tones of mainly brown and gray of a variety of appealing anthropomorphic stuffed animals in occasional contexts. The images seem designed to encourage us to slow down as we observe the implications of caption-like text and illustration, and fall asleep with a smile. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz
School Library Journal
K-Gr 1—This gentle picture book subtly explores the many different kinds of "quiet." Bears, rabbits, porcupines, mice, owls, moose, and wombats are depicted in situations that effectuate the notion of quiet throughout the daily life of a young child. For example, the "first one awake quiet" shows a rabbit doing his morning stretches. In "Right before you yell, 'SURPRISE!' quiet," three animal friends crouch behind a couch. "Making a wish quiet" presents a contemplative porcupine sitting on a stool wearing a party hat. A bear and a rabbit playing tag with the waves at the beach symbolize, "Best friends don't need to talk quiet." The soft, matte feel of the illustrations, created with pencil, are digitally enhanced, and are priceless. The animals' facial expressions and body language are endearing. White space is used creatively to emphasize the mostly gray or brown palette. All of the scenarios are child-centric and realistic. A delightful and enchanting choice for storytime or sharing one-on-one.—Anne Beier, Hendrick Hudson Free Library, Montrose, NY
Publishers Weekly
“There are many kinds of quiet,” Underwood (Pirate Mom) writes, and this treasure of a book—which is appropriately gentle in both its understated text and artwork—catalogues many sorts of quiet that readers will recognize instantly. Some are lovely (“First one awake quiet”; “Lollipop quiet”); some less so (“First look at your new hairstyle quiet”); and some are out-and-out problems (“Thinking of a good reason you were drawing on the wall quiet”). Throughout, Liwska's (Little Panda) subtly engaging illustrations, single-page vignettes in muted rusts, greens, and browns, imagine a community of young, delicately furred animals who ably reflect the emotions that each type of quiet elicits. A young moose's antlers peek provocatively from behind a swiveling office chair (“Hide-and-seek quiet”); a bear holds its paw over its eyes as a nurse prepares a hypodermic (“Pretending you're invisible quiet”); and an owl looks upwards with awe and clasps its wing to its chest (“First snowfall quiet”). Underwood's taxonomy of quiet will evoke soft smiles from listeners who are getting ready for “bedtime kiss” quiet (and possibly, even later, for “What flashlight?” quiet). Ages 3–5. (Apr.)
Kirkus Reviews
This gallery of quietude works for bedtime or calming down while also acknowledging that some quiet moods are less than happy. Each page shows one type of quietness, from classics such as, "Sleeping sister quiet," to the creative locale of "Swimming underwater quiet," to the delightful specificity of "Trying not to hiccup quiet." As these young children (moose, bear, rabbit, mouse and porcupine) move from scene to scene, they experience some contented silences (watching a robin, skipping rocks with a friend) and some tinged with insecurity ("First look at your new hairstyle quiet"), regret ("Jelly side down quiet"-a sandwich falling to the floor) or worry ("Last one to get picked up from school quiet"). The final sequence-a nighttime car ride in the snow, peaceful steps to bedtime-makes a comforting end. Liwska colors her finely hatched pencil drawings with low-value, low-intensity hues, matching the theme of low aural volume with a muted but detailed visual quality that invites a close look. Soothing and layered. (Picture book. 3-5)
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780547215679
  • Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Publication date: 4/12/2010
  • Format: Library Binding
  • Pages: 32
  • Sales rank: 85855
  • Age range: 3 - 5 Years
  • Product dimensions: 7.08 (w) x 8.74 (h) x 0.36 (d)

Meet the Author

Deborah Underwood has written many books for children. She lives in San Francisco and loves "cat sleeping on your stomach quiet" and "smelling lilacs quiet." Visit her online at www.DeborahUnderwoodBooks.com.   “Drawing a picture book quiet,” is Renata Liwska's favorite kind of quiet. Renata's previous picture books includes Little Panda which she wrote and illustrated.

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 12 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(8)

4 Star

(1)

3 Star

(2)

2 Star

(1)

1 Star

(0)
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  • Posted Tue Apr 13 00:00:00 EDT 2010

    A privilege to write a review for the Quiet Book

    This is a wondrous book about all the different kinds of quiet there are for kids. Happy quiets and worried quiets, scared quiets and "was I being naughty?" quiets.

    I have to declare an interest, since I am Deborah Underwood's brother in law. Which means I have had the privilege of knowing the book for many years in draft form (you have NO idea how long it takes for children's picture books to come out - this one was fast as it only took about 3 years!)

    The book has always been brilliant but I didn't imagine how great the pictures would be to go with it.

    In short I think this is a great book and I don't think you or your children will be disappointed.

    4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted Tue Feb 22 00:00:00 EST 2011

    Beautifully illustrated, quiet story.

    This is a top contender for best nighttime read. My 3 1/2 year old daughter loves it. The illustrations are so endearing - I wish they made stuffed animals that looked like these precious bears, bunnies, moose. I also enjoy the quiet times that Underwood has so cleverly pointed out. I couldn't recommend it more highly!

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted Mon Feb 14 00:00:00 EST 2011

    thoughtful- not monotonous

    We added this to our home library about three weeks ago. The children, 5 and 1, love the adorable illustrations and story. I enjoy the thought that went into developing examples of quiet kids can relate to. A very gentle, sweet book the kids like to revisit at nap and bedtime.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted Sun Jan 16 00:00:00 EST 2011

    LOVE this book!

    The story is wonderful and the illustrations are adorable. As an adult, I enjoed this story. The children I've read it to have been captivated by the different 'quiets'.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Sat Sep 04 00:00:00 EDT 2010

    A treasure in our home

    I read this book to my daughter every night for bedtime. It is one of the most wonderful books I have read for children. The art work is beautiful and the many "quiets" are honest and sweet. Every time I have a chance I share it with friends and family, who all love it and say they must have a copy. This book is a precious addition to our daughter's library.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Mon Dec 13 00:00:00 EST 2010

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    Posted Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2011

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    Posted Wed Apr 20 00:00:00 EDT 2011

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    Posted Mon Aug 02 00:00:00 EDT 2010

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    Posted Tue Aug 10 00:00:00 EDT 2010

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Sat Sep 03 00:00:00 EDT 2011

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    Posted Thu Feb 17 00:00:00 EST 2011

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