This picture book focuses on a young girl names Myra Louise who is quiet and mindful. When others around her do not understand, she finds a way to show them her world of lesser noise and comforting sounds. The message of invention and creating will appeal to imaginative kids and educators. The pictures are full of objects, animals, and nature. An octopus (with less than eight tentacles), appears in quite a few pages and could be a parallel to the Myra Louise, an example of quiet, but intelligent thought.

Thanks to Annick Press and NetGalley for the e-galley. I read the published book for this review. My ratings and reviews are my own.

I could completely relate to Why Are You So Quiet? by Jaclyn Desforges and am very appreciate of this book. I love the emphasis on being silent, listening, and simply taking in the world around – and that being ok – because it is! #WhyAreYouSoQuiet #NetGalley

This is a great book that teaches everyone that you should stop and listen and pay attention to mother nature around you.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The art in this book is beautiful. The story is nice, but it doesn't seem to have a proper ending. Like I was left waiting for something. As a child, I was pretty introverted, so I could relate to the question.

I adore this book.

Myra Louise is introverted. She enjoys reading and listening and observing. But others around her think that her quietness means she’s not confident. The more they ask her why she’s so quiet, the smaller and smaller she begins to feel. It is when she teaches another child how to be a good listener that she really begins to reclaim her quiet confidence.

I can’t appreciate this book enough and absolutely wish I had it as a child. I myself am more of a quiet observer, and need to push against the idea that quiet = shy (it doesn’t, I’m not shy). I notice things and am intuitive, but even as a teacher and in a work environment, struggle with the idea that louder is better, that louder is more confident.

The world needs the kids who notice, who daydream, who tinker, who feel big feelings of empathy and kindness. I hope that I can teach my kids that their voice is important and valuable, that they can feel confident to speak up–but that they also can savour thoughts and be the ear that listens, too.

The art is really lovely, and Risa Hugo manages to capture Myra Louise’s emotion so beautifully on her face. Her eyes are filled with wonder, compassion, and thought.

By Jaclyn Desforges, illustrated by Risa Hugo, published by Annick Press

Another for the fans of The Rabbit Listened! Some kids are simply quieter, and it doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with them. In fact, as the book show, sometimes everyone should slow down and listen for a little bit.

This is a sweet book with lovely illustrations. It was an enjoyable read with a good message - especially for children who have been asked that question.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

A book for all the quiet souls and the people who feel left out by the quiet ones. This quiet one makes a listening machine and then shares the quiet sounds with others who might learn to appreciate that noise isn't all there is.
The illustrations by Risa Hugo are lovely and colorful without screaming at the reader.
I loved it and so will mine.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook from Annick Press Ltd. via NetGalley. Thank you!

--Beautiful Story for "Quiet" People Longing to Be Heard--

I received an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley and here are my thoughts.

This is a wonderful book, beautifully illustrated, about a young girl who is quieter than average, and gets repeatedly asked "Why are you so quiet"?, in a way that implies that something is wrong with being quiet.

She takes the question to heart, and instead of letting it become a phrase that wounds her, she decides to build a machine to enable her to listen more intensely to the sounds of the world around her.

This is a wonderful, wonderful book for the quiet child in your life or simply the child who feels they don't fit in OR a child who could perhaps benefit from hearing a story about someone who finds joy in listening deeply to the sounds in the world around use.

A skill we could all benefit from improving.

Why Are You So Quiet? A phrase I have heard my whole life. This book reminds readers to take time to listen like their quiet friends and siblings. A very beautiful story about Myra Louise and her challenges with peers, teachers and parents wondering why she is so quiet. Myra Louise is a highly intelligent girl who creates a listening machine and with this machine others can enjoy the quietness of nature along with her. Pretty illustrations throughout and a very comforting story for all the quiet kids out there.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

This whimsically illustrated picture book asks the question every quiet kid like me heard over and over! Why are you so quiet? A question that Myra Louise uses all her best quiet qualities to try to figure out the answer to. Why are other things in the world quiet, too, if it’s so strange? Does it just mean you’re good at thinking and reading and observing and contemplating and wondering? She finds there’s magic that only quiet kids can see, and that it’s beautiful to share. The perfect book to make quiet, thoughtful kids smile, and for not-so-quiet kids to understand what life as a quiet kid is like - and how to enjoy what you can hear when you slow down listen, instead, for a moment or two.

Why Are You So Quiet? // by Jaclyn Desforges

This was a really quick and really cute read. The illustrations are very pretty. I really like the topic, showing children that it's ok to not be loud all the time, it's ok to prefer being quiet and to listen, but I did feel that when you put the two sides of the story together, there was a looong emphasis on pointing out what was "wrong" with Myra Louise and then a very short conclusion showing us the point of the book. As an adult, I can see what it might be trying to imply but I don't know if that would translate well to be understandable by a young child.

**Thank you to NetGalley, author Jaclyn Desforges, and Annick Press Ltd. for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**

This is a beautiful story. I found it extremely relatable as I was a very quiet, introverted child growing up. Desforges crafts a story that focuses on the beauty and acceptance of being a listener, and this is an extremely important message to share with children.

I liked the simple illustrations and colors in the drawings, but I was thrown off a bit by the lack of detail on the characters' faces, besides Myra Louise's and like two others. This did not take away from the story in any way, though.

I read this book as a pre-release e-book obtained through NetGalley, provided by the publisher.

This is a delightful little children’s picture book, beautifully illustrated in a style of softly-drawn water colors.
The book itself illustrates the delights that come from listening – making someone “quiet” as they are enjoying life more. This is a children’s book with an important message for all ages.

I adored this book!

As an introverted child, this book resonated so much with me.

The illustrations were gorgeous. The message was beautiful.

I will be buying this book once it is released.

Myra Louise is a quiet girl in a world where those around her don't understand why she likes the quiet so much. So she sets out to find an answer to everyone question, why are you so quiet?

I really enjoyed "Why Are You So Quiet?". This story is a great way to show others why some children are quiet and why it isn't a bad thing. The illustrations were beautiful I really liked their style

Thank you to Netgalley and Annick Press Ltd. for the e-ARC.

Myra Louise prefers not talking to talking. And no seems to understand. Not her mom, not her teacher, not her classmates. So, Myra Louise builds a listening machine. When she takes it to school, her friend Jeremy, again, asks her, "Why are you so quiet?" Myra Louise finally has an answer: "I'm listening."

I love the idea of destigmatizing the quiet kids! BUT it feels like this book ends very abruptly. I really wanted to like it more, but because it just... ends... I can't give it more stars.

The How (I Felt)
So I am not a quiet person myself (except when I want to be, like when I am reading); and have never been (or think I will be) asked the question in this book’s title: Why Are You So Quiet? But I know many who are, and totally love and appreciate them. If everyone is ‘not quiet’, then who will be listening? But jokes aside, each person is different, and learning to understand and accept, more importantly appreciate those differences is what is needed. Bear in mind that this acceptance, appreciation, and understanding needs to happen on all sides — from within and from others. And why should the quiet ones be labeled different anyway? Aren’t the talkative ones different for the quiet ones too?

Anyways, personal thoughts aside, here are my thoughts about the book itself. It is a beautiful, beautiful book about Myra Louise, the one qho is quiet; and it has illustrations that wonderfully complement the encouraging, gentle and lyrical text.



As Myra Louise tries to answer that question everyone around her asks of her, she learns a lot about who she is. She is an observer, a reader, a thinker, a tinkerer, and of course, a listener! And with each thing she learns, she wants to share it with others as well. I loved how the soft, soothing colors of the expressive artwork brighten as we turn the pages — shifting from pastel to bright — along with all the joy and acceptance that Myra discovers for herself.

Perfect Pairing
While Love Your Body is aimed for a slightly older audience than ‘Why Are You So Quiet?’, it still conveys the message about finding joy and acceptance in who you are.

In Summary
A great book for all readers – the quiet ones and the not-so-quiet ones – to learn the joys of listening and simply being.

Source: NetGalley e-Review Copy

Introverts everywhere will rejoice because Jaclyn Desforges and Risa Hugo have made a book specifically for you! Why Are You So Quiet? is a lovely story to remind readers that not everyone likes to be loud and brash.

Myra Louise loves the quiet. She’s a quiet girl and loves being cocooned in small spaces and enjoying all of the quiet sounds around her. Many people in her life just don’t understand why she’s so quiet and make her feel small. She wants to explain why she’s quiet but just doesn’t know how. She thinks and tinkers and finds a way to help others understand why she’s so quiet.

I love that Jaclyn Desforges frames this story in a way that makes sure readers understand how valuable it is to be quiet. She emphasizes all the things Myra Louise is good at like reading, thinking and noticing. She really ensures readers understand the power of the quiet and how much we can learn and do when we just take a little time to be quiet and listen. It also reminds readers that it’s perfectly okay to want to be alone and thoughtful.

The illustrations by Risa Hugo have a quiet quality to them. The colours are muted and soft, the pages are not cluttered but only contain as much detail as they need. There is a dreaminess to the illustrations that are comforting and inviting.
Outside Art

This was an interesting take on the quiet child character type. I've read a lot of books about this sort of character in the past, but usually those books are some sort of take on how to help the quiet child find their voice and break their silence. This one took the approach of allowing the quiet child to flourish and help others to understand why she chose to be quiet.

I liked that it included some element of building and "making" which all of my librarian friends are looking for. I'm not entirely sure that I understood what she had accomplished with her machine by the end, though I'm glad that she could share her experience with her mother and her new friend, Jeremy. They seemed to get that she had uncovered something special, and I guess that's enough. I guess there's a part of me that expects the big finish, and this one is a story of something soft and small that is content to stay that way.

It was a pleasant read in all.