Thank you so much to net galley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book! Super cute and I would love to get this for a few kids I know!

This story offers a good explanation of mindfulness to kids that is a lot less "woo" than some I've seen. I'm not saying "woo" is bad, I'm cool with it, but it's not everyone's jam. Our heroine is Mary, a quiet girl who notices the world around her because she is quiet. Her family is loud, and they miss out on many of the quiet pleasures around them. When Mary becomes so quiet that they don't notice her anymore, they respond by yelling loudly for her, until finally they get quiet and listen, and realize she's been there the whole time (this part seems counter-intuitive; it doesn't encourage quietude if a child thinks their family won't notice them). Mary and her family sit and enjoy the quiet together, listening for the quiet noises and watching the quiet sights around them. After the story, there are tips on how to practice being quiet, which are quite helpful for little ones. The illustrations are soft and lovely, and as a bonus include many creative ways to reuse and upcycle different types of plastic bottles! Definitely recommended!

#AQuietGirl #NetGalley

I was a quiet girl too and am happy to see a little me in these pages! It also offers a lovely lesson on reflection.

The point of this book is to teach mindfulness, but I am not sure it’s successful. Mary is a naturally quiet child who gets lost in between her loud siblings, family, and a world full of noise. It’s only when everyone quiets down that she can be found and heard. I think the thing I don’t like about this book is that Mary disappears as if she never existed or as if no one wants her, until they are quiet. I get the message, I'm just not a fan of how it was done. Also there is no diversity of characters in this book.

A sweet little book reminding parents that quiet children are just as worthy of time and listening as the louder ones.

This is a darling book with beautiful illustrations. In this book a little girl teaches her family about the importance of mindfulness and how getting quiet connects you to the world around you and the people you love. I love how it includes tips at the end to teach children how to be mindful.

Mary is quiet. So quiet that her family often don’t even hear her. Even when she tries to speak up, she can’t be heard over everyone else’s noises. So she becomes as quiet as she’s ever been, and a whole new world opens up to her. When her family finally notice she’s gone, they try to look for her but won’t be able to find her until they become as quiet as she does and notice everything else around them.

This is a cool, little book about mindfulness and the power of being quiet and taking in one’s surroundings. We don’t have to be making noise 24/7, and actually, when we take the time to be quiet, and sometimes still, we can learn so many things about the world around us, and if we’re lucky, gain a little bit of peace in the process.

I identified a lot with Mary. My acquaintances say I’m very quiet, but those closest to me will tell you different. It takes me a while to open up, and that’s because I like to get the lay of the land first. I like to notice and understand the things around me before I open up and talk too much. There’s something to be found in that, just like there’s much to be found in Mary’s quiet.

There’s some helpful information about mindfulness once the story is over and even suggestions for practicing mindfullness throughout your day. This one is excellent for storytime and or bedtime, and maybe even engaging with your kiddos through some of the activities suggested.

Lucky for you, I’m super behind on all my wonderful reading copies, because you don’t even have to wait for this one. It’s out now, so you can pick it up at your favorite local bookstore or request it from your library.

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Quiet Girl by Peter Carnavas is a beautiful picture book worth reading.

Quiet Mary hears a lot because she's so timid and quiet. Her quietness gives her an amazing ability: She can appreciate the better things in life - like dragonflies buzzing and dogs snoring. But, her low volume means many people don't hear her or even listen. It started to become a problem, and she felt like she wasn't even there. Until one day, people listened.

The illustrations remind me of old school Charlie Brown - simplistic, colourful and nostalgic. It was a very homey feeling. There's also a section on mindfulness which I think is super helpful for children (and adults alike) to learn!

It's such a sweet little story that makes for a great children's picture book. I utterly adore it and I highly recommend it.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pajama Press for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

The illustrations in this book are nice and soft; they really go along with the fact that Mary is quiet. When Mary is quiet, she notices sounds and things around her that no one else notices. This is a great book for learning about listening to the world around you and "stopping to smell the roses."

I LOVED THIS BOOK! When I was a child riding in the backseat of the car while my mom drove, she often thought she forgot me at the grocery store because I didn’t make a peep behind her. I’ve always felt that I’m extremely observant and content watching the world around me. It makes sense that I practice meditation on a daily basis! This book shines light onto shyness, and shows it more of a superpower than a trait to “fix.” I’ll be recommending this to anyone who might feel like an outsider due to their quietness, and anyone who might need to just slow down and enjoy what’s happening around them— even the most hidden things!

As an quiet person, I enjoy seeing other quiet people in books. Mary is a sweet and thoughtful person whose family seem fairly oblivious to her special personality. I like that Mary stays true to her character and doesn’t give in to the request to “Speak Up” and be louder. She is who she is and stays that way. It’s her family who change, get less noisy, and begin to see the world from her perspective. The illustrations are lovely and Mary a joy. Her family, though, well they need to pay more attention long before they did. B-

I feel you, Mary. I liked the ending to "A Quiet Girl." The story has an excellent lesson but isn't too preachy.

Quiet People Hear a Lot

This is a sweet story of just what the title says, a quiet girl. This little girl is just naturally quiet. This is fine when she is outside by herself, being able to hear all the gentle sounds of nature. But when she is with her family, they constantly ask her to be louder so she can be heard. She tries, but she doesn't seem to have much success being loud enough to be noticed consistently. So she decided to just go quieter still until it feels like she has just about disappeared. Her family starts looking for her eventually and are quite perturbed when they can't find her easily. But they do find her after a time, and they come to appreciate being quiet and listening to the small sounds of nature as well. The message in this book is about being mindful and just observing, finding that quiet center. It is kind of a sad story about the little girl being so neglected, not heard in her parents’ and brother’s loud and busy lives. Having grown up in a family of five daughters, I know what it feels like to be invisible. Sometimes it's a good thing, but sometimes it is not. This book would be nice to use as a way to introduce mindfulness, especially if you have a child who tends to be quiet. You can ask him or her the kinds of things he or she notices and start from there. The illustrations of the frizzy-haired little girl in a plain brown dress are sweet.

This book is an ode to quietness. Mary, a sweet little introverted girl, loves to experience that quietness. She focuses on the world around her and hears the beauty of a buzzing dragonfly, a lazy sleeping dog, and the rustling of leaves, just to name a few. She revels in and savers the minuscule things of life that she finds everywhere.

Her family, on the other hand, is busy and loud and has very little time for her so she is ignored and dismissed which makes Mary slip further into her silence. Doing so enables her to discover even more of the wonderment around her. Mary feels invisible and slides even further away.

Her family realizes that they cannot find Mary and start a search to locate her. Upon discovering her whereabouts her the family has a eureka moment! They become students of quietness also and learn how to be still, listen and hear all the mysteries that surrounds them.

This Australian import encourages readers to practise mindfulness, disengage from the busyness of the world and be still. This enables them to listen and pay attention to the quieter things in their life. The illustrations are extremely well done and portray Mary as a very adorable little character. I highly recommend this book....Shhhhh!

Mary is a quiet girl who enjoys the world around her, but her loud family urges her to be loud like they are. One day, her family notices she’s gone. When they carry out a search, they learn an important lesson about silence. I loved the mindfulness and nature-loving aspects of this book. Also, I can relate to Mary since I’m a quiet person. I read this via NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher.

I have introverted friends who frequently ask me about books for their little ones. So I decided to take a look at this. It’s a short, quick read for an adult. I think children would enjoy the wondeful illustrations and might want to take the time to name each of the elements.

The story is sweet and shows how a quiet little girl spends her days and feels ignored by her louder family. I think it would help introverted and sensitive children feel like there are kids out there just like them.

The story is also about mindfulness and includes short mindfulness suggestions at the end. It is a great way to teach children to appreciate each moment and not rush through life.

I would have liked a little more insight into Mary and her feelings, but the story is sweet and that is enough for the little ones who might read this with their parents.

Thanks to NetGalley, Publisher Spotlight and Pajama Press for a complimentary copy in exchange for this honest review.

In Peter Carnavas's book, Mary is a quiet girl. She celebrates the softer things like the smell of fresh cut grass and the tickle of the breeze. In contrast, Mary's family is full of everything that is loud and, in all that noise, Mary's voice gets lost. It takes a shocking event for Mary's family to realize how wonderful the quality of quietness can be in your life. The information about mindfulness at the end of the book is an added bonus.

Verdict: I definitely recommend purchasing this book for your classroom and school libraries.

A Quiet Girl by Peter Carnavas is a picturebook currently scheduled for release on August 4 2020. Mary was a quiet girl. She thought quiet thoughts, stepped quiet steps, and whispered quiet words. Mary knows how to savor the small things. Wonder is everywhere: in the rustle of leaves, in the sigh of a sleeping dog, in the wingbeats of the birds who visit her upcycled feeders. But Mary’s family couldn’t be more different. Amidst the sound of blow-dryers, blenders, lawnmowers, and her brother’s trombone, Mary goes almost unnoticed. It isn’t until her family starts searching the neighborhood for her that they begin to see the world through her eyes. From critically acclaimed author-illustrator Peter Carnavas comes a gentle breeze of a picture book with themes of mindfulness, observation, and being present in the natural world. A Quiet Girl invites young readers (and the noisy adults in their lives) to appreciate the thousand little pleasures that surround us—if only we would notice them.

A Quiet Girl is a picturebook that really resonated with me. I loved that the artwork was pastel and simple, not bright and shouting, so that it matched the personality of Mary. She is quiet, and because of that often feels invisible and overlooked. However, her quiet nature also lets her hear and notice things that her family might be missing out on. I like that she is not as absent from the thoughts of her family as she thinks she is, and that taking the time to listen and look for her allows her family to notice the things she wanted to share with them. I think this book is a great family read, especially for those with a quiet family member or friend. I related to Mary a great deal, having preferred a book or sitting under a tree to louder pastimes (both as a child and an adult). I think the book can help readers understand the wonders that they might be missing, and to understand how other people might feel in a world that seems to be loud and in a hurry as a default.

This is ultimately a picture book teaching about mindfulness.

Which is not a bad thing. A sweet way to say that listening to the quiet is often quite pleasurable as well. There are things in the world you can only hear when you step away from the noise.

This book is for all the introvert kids out there, who are not trying to be loud. For the kids that shouldn't have to speak louder to be heard.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

A quiet book to fit it's quiet character. But just like the character, Mary, shows her family, quiet isn't lacking in layers and charm. Illustrations really matter to me when looking at picture books, and these are delightful. The story show the importance of slowing down and taking in what is happening around you.