RATING: 4 STARS
2019, Tundra Books/Penguin Random House Canada

I love Arsenault's writing and illustrations. Her novels are such fun to read out loud.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook/audiobook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

Poor Albert can't have enough quiet to read his book, he's always interrupted by his friends who want to play with him. Until he's had enough! Now all the other kids want to read too, and Albert gets shushed by them. Not sure if the kids were mocking Albert? Maybe. But they're all ok at the end.

This little book just shot to the top of my favourite picks for 2019. I already knew I liked Isabelle Arsenault's illustrations -- I loved her work in Jane, the Fox, and Me -- but now she's on my "must read" list.

To be honest, the first time I read through this book, I wasn't sure how much I liked this story. Some of the messaging didn't quite strike me the right way. But on my second read, I realized how truly delightful this book is.

In this book we follow Albert as he leaves his noisy house to find a quiet space to sit and read his book. Unfortunately, noisy people seem to cluster around him, and while he tries to ignore the hubbub for awhile, he eventually loses his temper when things just get too loud.

The illustrations are on the simple side, but there is never any doubt what is happening on each page. There is an incredible number of things going on in this story that make it a great book for opening up discussions about empathy and appropriate reactions.

I strongly recommend this book and I can't wait to get my hands on more of Arsenault's work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tundra Books for providing me with a DRC of this book.

Sometimes peace and quiet can be elusive. That's what Albert discovers when he goes out to the alley to read his book. Actually, he's just sitting there, daydreaming about reading on a beach. But as each of his friends comes along and starts to do their own activities, even his imagination starts to get cluttered and really, really noisy. Finally, he can't take it anymore and he snaps at his friends, driving them all away... or so he thinks.

Albert's frustration is something a lot of people will probably be able to relate to. His reaction toward his friends is not his finest hour, but to his credit, he does try to apologize. His friends obviously forgive him, and everything is all good.

This might technically be a picture book, but the format is really more of a graphic novel. The illustrations are divided into panels, there's onomatopoeia everywhere, and all the speech is in balloons. So, really, it's a graphic novel for kids. But that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. The illustrations, done in a limited colour palette of black and white, orange, and turquoise, are quite cute. I've encountered Arsenault's work before in the adorable Spork. These illustrations are just as charming and help to tell the story of a little boy who just wants some silence.

I'd recommend this to anyone who's ever wanted to retreat into their imagination (or a good book) and enjoy some peace and quiet.