PPBF: Quiet As Mud

Hey hey, dear reader, happy November!

I was just in Wisconsin for a few author visits and to help my Dad after a surgery; look at how gorgeous our family farm looks under the orange skies of the Autumn sunset. It truly is a visual explosion there right now. Here's a peek at some of nature's beauty of October in the Midwest.

My pictures don't quite do it justice, but you get the picture.

Now for today's PPBF:

Title: Quiet as Mud

Author: Jane Yolen

Illustrator: Nicole Wong

Publisher: Magination Press

Birth date: April 23, 2024

Themes: quietude, calm, mindfulness

Brief synopsis: How might this child's quietude help us?

Brief synopsis: Explore the world through the senses of a content child in this mindful treasure.

Opening page: My little sister says I'm quiet as the stars.

Resources: Take a picture walk {here}.

Compare and contrast three quiet books {here}.

Enjoy a read-aloud with the author {here}.

Why I like this book: I love the quiet that this book invites us into. Its simplicity is incomparable in a picture book, its illustrations subtly soft and quietly calming. It feels like a mindfulness manifesto, a much-needed smidge of soothing in a world that often looks, sounds, and feels noisy and chaotic.

Use it as a springboard for a nature walk, a chance to slow down the frenetic pace of life and quietly observe your surroundings. Awaken your senses through tangibles that you can see, touch, smell, taste, and hear.

The other day, as I collected leaves, I noticed, observed, and took time to appreciate the warmth of the sunshine on my skin. I savored the sensation of every leaf, their level of moisture, their scent, their color, their texture. I smelled the crisp Autumn air as I listened to the leafy blanket crunching beneath my feet with every step. When I got still, I could even imagine the smell of that apple pie that I was going to make later that evening, the cinnamon flavoring melding with the juice of the fresh fruit, a mix of Cortland, Macintosh, and Jonagold apples.

Consider making a leaf globe. Here's mine.