It's So Quiet: A Not-Quite-Going-To-Bed Book

This bedtime book by Rinker opens at the close of a day, with creatures settling down in a country setting. An anthropomorphic mother mouse is kept up by her exasperated child, who exclaims, "It's TOO QUIET!" But Mama explains that "the small sweet sounds of nighttime/ will whisper you to sleep." And one by one, they begin to resound: a bullfrog's deep "CRRR-OAK," the soft "WHOOSH" of the breeze through the trees. As the barrage of nighttime noises reaches a crescendo, little Mouse again feels irked, but for a new reason that draws laughs. Onoma-topoetic words add fun to Rinker's rhyming readaloud, while digital illustrations by Fucile offer accurate representations of each sound, as well as of a sweetly irritable child who is eager to get some shut-eye. Younger readers will enjoy the easy repetition, and may even begin to find comfort in real-life quiet. Ages 3-5. (Feb.)

PreS-Gr 1--Actually, Rinker's point is that it's not that quiet--from the sounds of wildlife surrounding this farm to a grandparent snoring on the porch and an already sleepless little mouse that shows no sign of resting any time soon. Bullfrogs. Crickets. A hound dog. Even the wind through the trees keeps Mouse awake. The illustrations, from the title page on, visually demonstrate the crescendo of squeaks, breezes, barn owl, and more, until even the youngest onlookers will have their hands over their ears. A primal holler into the din, from Mouse's own mouth, dissipates the sounds instantly, and only the "shah, shah, shah" of the moths around a lone light whisper to the night. Even if Mouse is a stand-in for sleepless parents, this tale is a cacophonous triumph on the path to rest. VERDICT This is fantastic story time choice.--Kimberly Olson Fakih, School Library Journal