QUIET IS STRENGTH

Ponder the importance of stillness.

A diverse group of people pursue activities in a large, well-maintained park filled with flowers, trees, a lake, and a playground, all with lovely monarch butterflies flying throughout. Children examine the butterflies, whisper, make music, or draw in chalk on the sidewalk as Hess offers thoughtful musings on silence: “Quiet is stunning…The hush right when a song ends. The breath you take before the race begins. It is who you are, the way you are—with and without words spoken.” As the day moves on to twilight and then night, fireflies appear and children hold hands, then wave to each other as they depart with the final pronouncement: “Quiet is powerful LIKE YOU.” Though the sentiments are heartfelt, some of the figures in the lovely, soft illustrations are unnecessarily indistinct, and their actions can be difficult to make out at times. In one scene, readers are told that quiet is “as mighty as a wave before it hits the shore…confident in the space between the silence and the roar,” but the accompanying image depicts a peaceful lake, with no waves in sight. Youngsters will need a loving grown-up to help them draw connections.

Visually appealing but may leave readers a bit lost.