This is a very sweet book about teaching children (and adults!) to reflect, take some quiet time, and be more mindful of their surroundings. I was not expecting the turn towards mindfulness at the end of the book, but I appreciated it as a moral. My biggest qualm with this book is the lack of diversity, as all of the characters are white, which can be alienating for children and visibly excludes certain children from mindfulness.

This was a great book with a really wonderful message. And the pictures were very cute. I enjoyed it and so did the child that I read it to!

Mary is a quiet girl who appreciates listening instead of making noise. She tries to talk to her family, but they just don't pay attention. When Mary goes missing, her family learns a big lesson. I find the story to be beautiful amd well written. I also appreciated the bold words and the lighter words to represent loud vs quiet.

A new author for me, this is Peter Carnavas’ fourth book, his first book, The Elephant won the Children’s Book Award at the Queensland Literary Awards, he also won the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Crystal Kite Award for Blue Whale, and My Sister is a Superhero won an Australian Book Industry Award.

This story is about a little girl named Mary, who is so very quiet that her family hardly noticed her at all.

…soon she became so quiet she felt like she just wasn’t there.

They don’t notice at first, between the dog barking, and her brother playing his music loud, her Mom busy on the phone. Until her Mom notices a bird and wonders if it’s the bird Mary was trying to tell her about and realizes Mary isn’t answering her. Soon, the family and then the neighborhood are looking, shouting Mary’s name.

Until finally, they stop shouting and just… listen.

I haven’t read any of the others, but this book is charmingly illustrated with a wonderfully shared story about being quiet enough to listen, to hear the stories our world can show us on a daily basis, and appreciate all the beauty within - if we just take the time to stop, and listen.

For parents, and older children, there is a list of Ways to be mindful at the end of the book, which might be helpful for children (and adults) looking for ways to appreciate the world, and those residing in it, more.


Pub Date: 04 Aug 2020

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Publisher Spotlight / Pajama Press

#AQuietGirl #NetGalley

This was a cute book about the power of stillness. The drawings and story were simple but profound. This would be a great way to teach children about being mindful and finding peace.

I was a quiet girl myself, so I can relate to Mary. Mary is constantly being told to speak louder. She enjoys the quiet. She enjoy hearing the birds and the cream of a door. Mary is so quiet that she disappears!
Such a beautiful book with a great message at the end.

"A Quiet Girl" is a children's book by Peter Carnavas .This book tells the story of a young quiet girl who is observant and wants to share her experiences with her family that happens to be loud and oblivious to the things around them.

This story was a great one to teach mindfulness to kids. We particularly enjoyed seeing all of the different activities going on around the little girl and then discussing those as a family. The section at the end with different mindfulness activities was particularly helpful and fun for us to do together as well! The beautiful illustrations for this book were the icing on the cake. Overall we loved this book and would recommend it.

A very sweet story of a girl that notices the life around her because she is quiet and makes time to interact with her surroundings. This is a great story and has helpful tips at the end, especially in a time when we are constantly bombarded with environmental noise of all kinds. It’s a nice reminder that people that seem shy, quiet, introverted, aloof, etc are not necessarily not paying attention or missing out, they are simply interacting with the world in a different way.

A sweet story about being quiet and enjoying the world around us if we just listen. I found this book to be charming and the message of taking a moment and just listening to the world around us and discover it's beauty was great. There is a guide to mindfulness in the book that is really great! I think this is a great book for kids and parents to try with their kids! Overall, a great read!

A Quiet Girl appealed to me based solely on its description, which I stumbled upon via NetGalley, "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."

Children's Fiction is not my normal go-to genre, but A Quiet Girl is the exception to the rule, for I am Mary. I have had many a discussion about what it is like to be shy and quiet in a world that does not embrace these characteristics. I have spent a lifetime being told to speak up, be more outgoing, etc., but my happiest times are when I am alone with my thoughts, silently reading my books, or birdwatching in nature.

I recommend this book for any child but especially those who are quiet; A Quiet Girl wields the power to make the reserved feel not so alone in their attributes. I also recommend this book for any adult; it's a reminder to slow down and be still. It is time to embrace those who are not naturally boisterous and loud. Instead of expecting the quiet to speak up, take a moment to quiet down and listen.

I also enjoyed the pictures. I'm by no means an art expert (I'm not even an art amateur)! However, in my opinion, the use of subdued colors also spoke to the importance of quiet. If A Quiet Girl was fraught with bright, in your face colors, the moral of the story would have been lost completely. The drawings themselves perfectly complement the text.

3 stars from me because, "I liked it."

A lovely peek at the enlivening magic that nature, listening, and quietude offer, told through warm sentences and thoughtful illustrations.