A Quiet Place

by Douglas Wood, Dan Andreasen (Illustrator)

Overview

"Sometimes a person needs a quiet place."
A place that's far away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life —
a place that isn't ringing or talking or roaring or playing.
But sometimes that place isn't easy to find.
Explore what it's like to find a special someplace where we
all can think our own thoughts and feel our own feelings.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780689876097
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	05/01/2005
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	171,025
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Douglas Wood is the author of A Quiet Place as well as the New York Times bestselling Can’t Do series. His books Old Turtle and Old Turtle and the Broken Truth were both international bestsellers. He lives in a cabin in the woods of Minnesota. A studied naturalist, Douglas shares his knowledge of nature as a wilderness guide. Visit him at DouglasWood.com.

Dan Andreasen is the illustrator of numerous picture books, including By the Dawn’s Early Light: The Story of the Star-Spangled Banner by Steven Kroll, which was named an ABA Kids’ Pick of the Lists and a Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies; A Quiet Place by Douglas Wood; and Sailor Boy Jig by Margaret Wise Brown. He has also authored several picture books, including With a Little Help from Daddy and A Special Day for Mommy. Dan lives with his family in Medina, Ohio.

Editorial Reviews

"The pretty, framed, full-page pictures have an old-fashioned Saturday Evening Post feel to them."
—Booklist

"In his latest effort, Wood hearkens back to a simpler time to suggest an alternative to the modern child....Solid soul guidance for a media-saturated society."
—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

"The author suggests numerous spots for solitude from ponds to museums, then interjects a boy's fantasies into the mix," said PW. "The artist laces his realistic oil paintings with a touch of otherworldliness." Ages 3-7. (May) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 2-4-A boy feels the need for a calm, noise-free spot. He seems to live in a time decades ago if the cars and clothes in an early illustration are representative; however, most of the other full-page oil paintings are flights of fancy. While a variety of escape solutions are presented in text and art, they each seem to have negative aspects to them: the lilac bush is too close to home and "someone calls you to clean your room," the woods are "too dark and deep," the beach is "not your cup of tea," the desert is "a bit too dry," the fish in the pond "aren't biting," the cave could be "too cold and damp," legs are "too tired for climbing" to the top of the hill, "it's too warm for snowdrifts," the museum is closed, and the library isn't open. The final option of finding the quiet within may seem ideal to those who know the way to that place, but most children won't have the map. It seems a shame that all of the rich daydreams are shown to be potentially flawed rather than stops along the way. This is a lovely presentation of a concept that is sure to enchant adults and elude the audience for whom it may have been created.-Jody McCoy, The Bush School, Seattle, WA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

PlayStation, cable television, and computers be damned: in his latest effort, Wood (What Mom's Can't Do, not reviewed, etc.) hearkens back to a simpler time to suggest an alternative to the modern child. "Sometimes a person needs a quiet place . . . but it can be hard to find one. / You have to know where to look." Andreasen's (A House in the Mail, p. 53, etc.) lifelike illustrations provide just the right accompaniment on this imaginative journey. In the opening spread, a framed snapshot-sized vignette shows a boy holding his ears to block out the sounds of the city. On the opposite page, a full-size portrait rendered in dim acrylics captures morning light on a busy Manhattan street. Throughout, fantasy and reality are juxtaposed. In one spread, for example, the child relaxes in the open air of a dark wood. "You might find an old stump for a chair / or a mossy log for a couch." Rendered in deep green, dusky blue, and brown, the portrait on the opposite page reveals the boy as he imagines himself "a timber wolf, / the gray ghost of the forest." Later, the boy visits a museum and imagines himself an artist. Each special setting (the beach, a hilltop, and the library among them) offers uncommon beauty, adventure, and serenity. In the final scene, the child returns home to find "the very best quiet place of all- / the one that's always there, no matter / where you go or where you stay- / the one inside of you." Solid soul guidance for a media-saturated society. (Picture book. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews