A Cup of Quiet

In lieu of attending summer camp each June, the young narrator of this intergenerational story, a Black child portrayed with beaded braids, spends two weeks at her grandparents’ home. Together with Grandma, she stitches sock puppets, bakes “Martian Cake,” and hosts garden tea parties. When the noise from Grandpa’s bookshelf-building proves too much, Grandma indicates that she’s “thirsty for a cup of quiet,” and child and grandmother venture outside and into a garden. There, Grandma tasks the narrator to fill an invisible cup with nature’s sounds—a bee’s buzz, a lizard’s steps, and more—each addition growing the fanciful mug’s size. When a summer storm approaches, forcing them back inside and toward Grandpa’s hammering, Grandma takes a big refreshing gulp from the cup: “Nature’s noise is peaceful, and I love that.” Vibrant mixed-media illustrations from Johnson (Stand Up!) add visual verve to a tranquil intergenerational story from Grimes (A Walk in the Woods), whose warmth and sensory detail celebrates family, creativity, and mindful noticing. Ages 3–6. (Apr.)