Quiet as Mud

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. [em](Apr.) [/em]