cover image When We Are Quiet

When We Are Quiet

Stacy Sims, illus. by Shahaheh Khosravani. Blue Manatee (IPG, dist.), $7.99 (14p) ISBN 978-1-936669-45-5

“Hush, hush. Listen, baby./ Let me hold you tight./ When we are quiet,/ we hear the sounds of night.” In soothing, rhythmic rhymes, Sims unspools a gentle poem intended to encourage calmness as bedtime approaches. Khosravani captures tender moments between parents and their children in blocky images of adults kissing and embracing their babies. It isn’t the most diverse roundup (five of the six families have peachy-pink skin), but every page exudes substantial warmth and tenderness, and a closing list of suggestions offers tips for parents hoping to encourage restful bedtime habits like self-soothing and mindful breathing in their own children. Up to age 3. (Sept.)