Quiet

Nature is a whirl of activity—“busy as busy can be,” renowned children’s book creator dePaola writes—when a scarf-clad grandfather (who resembles the author) goes walking in the park with two of his grandchildren. A dragonfly buzzes through the air, a frog jumps into the pond, the trees wave in a breeze, and the family’s dog is full of energy. But the grandfather has an idea: he asks the children to sit, “quiet and still,” on a bench with him. As the trio settles, the rest of the world seems to slow, too—and everything and everyone seems more alive and aware. “I can think, when I’m quiet,” the girl says. “I can see, when I’m still,” says the boy. Rendered in soft pastel tones and generous white space and using minimal, poetic text, the book itself embodies the beauty of quietude. DePaola reminds the reader that the great rush of life is not all it’s cracked up to be—and that pausing can open people, and moments, to wonder. Ages 4–8. Agent: Doug Whiteman, Whiteman Agency. (Oct.)