Parents, your prayers have been answered. There is now a fun children's book that encourages children to stay hushed. The Quiet Book encourages readers to be quiet during all the times when kids are often most rowdy, like when they are the first one awake, visiting the doctor, getting a hair cut, or when someone else is sleeping. The illustrations are hand sketched and colored on a computer. Featuring adorable cartoon animals and comprised of earthy tones, the pictures dovetail the gentle and quiet mood of the book. A fluctuation between full background illustrations and those featuring one animal against whitespace also captures the readers' attention, keeping them guessing what each turn of the page may bring.
This is a great book to wake up or go to bed with, or just to help your child calm down. Try getting your little one excited about it by asking, "What is your favorite time to be quiet?" or "When are you best at being quiet?" After reading the story, you may discover new types of quiet time that applies more directly to them. For example, 'Brushing teeth with your sister quiet' or 'Waiting for the cookies to bake quiet.'
I found this book to one of the best ways EVER to gently remind my two year-old friend, Dano, about quiet time. He doesn't get too wound up in general, but on those days when he's extra loud and feeling silly, this is my go-to book. We have built up a whole routine where I say, "Time for the quiet book!" and we both put our fingers to our mouths (and Dano's eyes get huge) and say, "Shhhhhh!" After reading the story, I'll ask him to show me how quiet he can be. This makes being quite more of a game, and he enjoys it more.
--Audra
