Quiet as Mud
by Jane Yolen (Author) Nicole Wong (Illustrator)
A sweet poem about being an introvert in a big loud world.
Inspired by a quote from the late, great children's book author Margaret Wise Brown, this poem honors and celebrates the beauty of being your authentic self. Soothing rhymes and soft illustrations convey the peace of being alone with your thoughts.
This is a gentle introduction to the concept of being an introvert, as well as an invitation for child and grown-up readers alike to observe and imagine their inner world and the world around them. What can you hear when you stay quiet as mud?
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Publishers Weekly
Rhyming, simile-laden first-person lines describe a child's quietude in a softly joyous picture book that traces the experience of preferring noiselessness. Self-describing as "quiet as mud," a gap-toothed child with pale skin shares family members' similar descriptions. "Quiet as the stars," a younger sister says of her sibling; "silent as a sandwich/ when it sets uneaten on a plate," says their father; and, "as hushed as a snail, / as it slimes its way across a crate," says Granny. When an aunt remarks on the speaker's dreaminess, they counter, "It all seems real enough to me.// I just like hearing the world spin by," before detailing a deep and moving connection to their surrounding environment. Wong emphasizes the child's sense of oneness with the world by setting the story in sunny springtime scenes filled with blossoms and breezes. Combined, text and art radiate contentment. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)
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American poetry
Children's poetry, American
Poetry
Quietude
