The Silence is shy and soft. Shaggy and still.
It peers around corners and waits quietly, ready to soothe and smooth the sharp, jagged edges left by the Noise.
The Silence Slips In is a lovely book about finding the silence and calm in life. The text addresses the reader as “you” and explains the many ways silence can provide the reader comfort.
The illustrations are in pencil, charcoal, and digitally coloured, and they create a soft atmosphere to the book. They depict a little girl and the embodiment of silence, which is a soft white animal-like creature. The Silence is seen as gentle, coming in to sooth and support the child when she’s had a busy or overwhelming day. Its opposite, Noise, is a green jagged creature. Both the author and illustrator have been nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Award for previous works.
This book fits well when discussing self-regulation and mindfulness with children. The Silence Slips In will also be published in French, under the title, Le Silence se glisse près de toi.
Beth Wilcox Chng is a teacher-librarian in Prince George, British Columbia. She is a graduate of the Master of Arts in Children’s Literature program at the University of British Columbia.
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