A Quiet Moment. Or Not.

A few weeks ago I went into Monkeyshines, Calgary's only children's bookstore -- and a store well worth checking out if you are ever in Calgary -- and found a display of a lovely new picture book, Deborah Underwood's The Quiet Book .
The display points out that there are all kinds of quiet: from soft to deafening. This seemed quite apt to me, as I opened the book to a picture of a child (Renata Liwska's captivating illustrations depict small animals, rather than humans) holding his breath as a nurse was about to give him a needle. The scene, which was indeed showing baited breath on most of the participants, promised quite a lot of imminent noise. As indeed do some of the other pictures, whether the riders of a roller coaster just at the top of a tower, a child having been caught doing something naughty or expressing worry, regret or comfort. The use of "storytime quiet" will make it a popular choice in libraries.
The color palette is done in soft, lovely shades and I lasted almost a day before buying a copy as a present for friend expecting a grandchild. This will be a great book for sharing.
Note -- I am delighted to add that as of November 7th, this book has been chosen by Publisher's Weekly as one of the Best Children's Books of 2010. There will be a Loud Book next year.