Be Quiet!

This clever, unique picture book lets us imagine that we are getting to see behind the scenes of a picture book being made. The main character has a vision that it will be a wordless pictures book, but his friends unintentionally mess up all his plans. I don’t know what it is about my children, but they get a big kick out of plans gone awry.

Be Quiet! Details

Title: Be Quiet!
Author/Illustrator: Ryan T. Higgins
Publication Year: 2017
Age Group: Preschool, Kindergarten, Early Elementary
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Comments

The premise of this amusing book had everyone in our family smiling along. That poor mouse just wants to make an artsy wordless picture book. The book is presented as if it were filming him as he stars in this story walking through beautiful scenery. However, his two friends are completely unable to keep quiet even when they try their best. I’m sure a lot of young readers will be able to relate. The hilarious climax of the book comes when the protagonist finally can’t take it anymore and snaps. He fills his story up with a frustrated eruption of words until they are running off the page.

Adding to the humor is the fact that the two talkative characters in this book have a lot of comical misunderstandings such as interpreting “onomatopoeia” (sound words) as “Imma-gonna-pee-a.” Even my oldest was laughing out loud. This book also features a cute, cuddly, deadly kitten, a cucumber with googly eyes, and the phrase “lettuce sweater.” What more can you ask for?

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