Quiet as Mud

by Jane Yolen, Nicole Wong (Illustrator)

Overview

A sweet poem about being an introvert in a big loud world.

Inspired by a quote from the late, great children's book author Margaret Wise Brown, this poem honors and celebrates the beauty of being your authentic self. Soothing rhymes and soft illustrations convey the peace of being alone with your thoughts.

This is a gentle introduction to the concept of being an introvert, as well as an invitation for child and grown-up readers alike to observe and imagine their inner world and the world around them. What can you hear when you stay quiet as mud?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781433841538
Publisher:	American Psychological Association
Publication date:	04/23/2024
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	457,370
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jane Yolen is the author of over 400 books for children and adults. Her books, stories, and poems have won many awards including the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, two Christopher Medals, three Golden Kite Awards, and the Jewish Book Award. She lives in Hatfield, MA. Visit janeyolen.com, @Jane.Yolen on Facebook, @JaneYolen on Twitter, and @JYolen on Instagram.

Nicole Wong is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. Her illustrations have been featured in several children's books, including No Monkeys, No Chocolate and Ferry Tail. Nicole lives with her husband, daughter, and their dogs and cat in Massachusetts. Visit nicole-wong.com, and @PainterNik9 on Instagram.

Editorial Reviews

01/08/2024

Rhyming, simile-laden first-person lines describe a child’s quietude in a softly joyous picture book that traces the experience of preferring noiselessness. Self-describing as “quiet as mud,” a gap-toothed child with pale skin shares family members’ similar descriptions. “Quiet as the stars,” a younger sister says of her sibling; “silent as a sandwich/ when it sets uneaten on a plate,” says their father; and, “as hushed as a snail,/ as it slimes its way across a crate,” says Granny. When an aunt remarks on the speaker’s dreaminess, they counter, “It all seems real enough to me.// I just like hearing the world spin by,” before detailing a deep and moving connection to their surrounding environment. Wong emphasizes the child’s sense of oneness with the world by setting the story in sunny springtime scenes filled with blossoms and breezes. Combined, text and art radiate contentment. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

A softly joyous picture book that traces the experience of preferring noiselessness...emphasizes the child's sense of oneness with the world...Combined, text and art radiate contentment.—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2024-01-20
“I’m quiet as mud when I’m alone.”

Inspired by a quote from author Margaret Wise Brown, Yolen offers a gently paced ode to the silent and soft-spoken. Appropriately, only one or two lines occupy each page, letting Wong’s pastoral illustrations take the lead. An unnamed young narrator floats through the sky, frolics across fields and forests, and goes on family picnics while sharing various similes, many rooted in nature. “I’m quiet as the stars” and “silent as a sandwich / when it sits uneaten on a plate,” says the little one. “I just like hearing the world spin by.” Though surrounded by a supportive family, the narrator is “quiet as mud when I’m alone.” Muddy footprints feature throughout, with the whole family looking (happily) grubby by the end, together in the garden behind a yellow house. Whatever reasons readers may have to be quiet, they’ll find Yolen’s words reassuring. Being quiet lets the protagonist pay attention to things others might miss, such as “the songs that the rocks all sing.” The child is also “happy to hear my heart beat / with its own steady thud-thud-thud.” Yolen has crafted an idyllic safe space for daydreamers, shrinking violets, and selectively mute little ones and a sweetly surreal alternative point of view for everyone else. The protagonist is light-skinned, as are most family members.

Mild-mannered mindfulness that leads by example. (Picture book. 2-7)

Kirkus Reviews