Silence

July 1, 2012
Preschool-G In this picture book by Lemniscates, an illustration and design studio located in Barcelona, a little girl takes the time to appreciate the sounds she hears when all is silent, like the waves crashing and what the birds say. She can also hear the soft sounds her feet make when she dances or the thump of her heart while running. The final portion of the text deals with the seasons and what specific noises mark spring, summer, fall, and winter. Some sounds are more abstract than othersfor instance, snow twinkling and stars whisperingand will hopefully fuel the imaginations of little ones rather than confuse them. Accompanying the simple, poetic text are heavily textured pictures, which do a nice job of illustrating a concept that's not only difficult to capture but also rather repetitive. The concluding spread asks children to be present in the moment: Be still. Listen. How many things can you hear? A worthy activity for anyone.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)