It's So Quiet: A Not-Quite-Going-To-Bed Book, written by Sherri Duskey Rinker and illustrated by Tony Fucile. Chronicle, Raincoast. 2021. $23.99 ages 3 and up

 

"In a little bed, in the little house
is a sleepy mama and a very 
sleepless mouse. 
"Hush," says his mama. 
"Settle down now, not a peep.
The small sweet sounds of nighttime
will whisper you to sleep ... 
                                               ... listen."

Oh, bedtime - it's often the bane of a parent's existence when they have small children. It is no different for this mama mouse who is doing her best to settle her little one down after a long day. The sun is setting, the farm quiets, and there is a stillness in the air. She turns out the light, only to hear a lament ... 
It's too quiet!

Not to be deterred, Mama provides comfort and a soothing voice. The frogs are croaking, the crickets join the chorus, the screen door sways, the dog's tail taps the porch floor, the breeze whistles through the trees, Grandad snores, and so on. When the coyote howls, the little mouse raises the window to see what is happening outside. Then, returns to bed. The sounds repeat, and grow louder. Back to bed, only to be disturbed by an ever-growing barrage of noise. It proves to be too much! 

BE QUIET!!!

I'M TRYING 
TO SLEEP!

That's all it takes. The little one is left with the night's quiet to soothe her back to sleep. 

Full of fun and relatable sounds, this is a book that will be requested again and again at bedtime. With dark backgrounds, a woodsy setting, and plenty of onomatopoeia, readers will respond with laughter and enjoyment for the predicament the child mouse experiences.