"Sssh! Listen, what's that noise?" A young child opens a door to the kitchen ("Creeeeaak") and learns that the noise has multiple sources: "It's the bubbling of the pan and the humming of the fridge." There's also a microwave pinging and water sloshing in the sink. Soon the soundscape includes "me tapping on the table" and "my dad laughing away" ("Hee Hee Hee/ Ha Ha Ha") and the interjections of the baby ("Burp"; "Bang").
The refrain "Sssh! Listen, what's that noise?" introduces two more of the house's pleasantly clattery rooms, until the toddler-narrator climbs into bed ("Squeak"; "Rustle"; "Shuffle"), takes in a story and a lullaby from Dad (either a single parent or a primary caregiver) and finally hears the strangest thing of all: "[i]t's so quiet."
Kate Alizadeh's look at a day in the rackety life of a young child is a gentle reminder to toddlers--such reliable noise makers--that listening has its own rewards (the title is a cheer, not an imperative). Quiet! features fine-lined art in commanding colors; the onomatopoeic words printed alongside household objects call to mind dialogue quips: "Brrmm" sits by a toy truck, "Hmmmm" by a laptop, "Babble" by a television. Any caregiver of a young child will be able to see Quiet!'s value: beyond being a fun book to read aloud, it may further open toddlers' already wide-open eyes by prompting them to open their ears. --Nell Beram, freelance writer and YA author