A Quiet Place [Hardcover]

Douglas Wood (Author), Dan Andreasen (Illustrator)

Book Description

"Sometimes a person needs a quiet place."

A place that's far away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life -- a place that isn't ringing or talking or roaring or blaring or playing. But sometimes that place isn't easy to find.

You could look under a bush in your own backyard, where the world seems far away...and you could be a pirate on a desert island.

Or you could sit on an old stump in the woods amidst the glittering sunlight and mossy shadows and be a timber wolf.

You could look by the sea or in the desert or in a cool dark cave, but if none of these places are right, you could come home and discover another quiet place.

Perhaps the very best quiet place of all -- the one that's inside of you.

In poetic and gently philosophical prose, acclaimed author Douglas Wood explores what it's like to find that special place where we all can think our own thoughts and feel our own feelings. Dan Andreasen brings exquisite imagination and thoughtful wonder to words that will inspire readers of all ages to seek out their very own quiet place.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Wood (Old Turtle) joins serene settings and dreams of adventure for a vivid romp through a child's imagination. Readers will relate to the ruddy-cheeked, blond city-dweller, who with hands clamped tightly over his ears yearns for respite from "whistles shrieking and grown-ups talking and engines roaring and ... grown-ups talking...." In prose saturated with simile and metaphor, Wood suggests numerous subdued spots for solitude from ponds and deserts to caverns and museums and then interjects the boy's fantasies into the mix. "You could look in the desert, where Old Man Saguaro reaches for the sky, and far-off thunderheads bloom like sky-flowers over the mesas. ... And you can be a Pony Express rider galloping through the Old West." That fantasy can loom larger than life is reflected in the layout of each spread: a small painting of the boy in his quiet place faces a full-page rendering of his daydream. For example, readers glimpse the boy leaving footprints on a beach; opposite, he's a flag-planting conquistador on a sandy shore. Andreasen (The Stars that Shine) laces his realistic oil paintings with a touch of otherworldliness. In muted hues and soft edges, the artist conveys far-ranging settings the boy, who seems at home in a Rockwellian yesteryear, envisions himself also as prehistoric caveman, swashbuckling treasure-finder, spaceman, etc. These scenarios will hold children rapt until the concluding thought perhaps a bit lofty for the very young that people hold within themselves "the very best quiet place of all." Ages 3-7.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-A boy feels the need for a calm, noise-free spot. He seems to live in a time decades ago if the cars and clothes in an early illustration are representative; however, most of the other full-page oil paintings are flights of fancy. While a variety of escape solutions are presented in text and art, they each seem to have negative aspects to them: the lilac bush is too close to home and "someone calls you to clean your room," the woods are "too dark and deep," the beach is "not your cup of tea," the desert is "a bit too dry," the fish in the pond "aren't biting," the cave could be "too cold and damp," legs are "too tired for climbing" to the top of the hill, "it's too warm for snowdrifts," the museum is closed, and the library isn't open. The final option of finding the quiet within may seem ideal to those who know the way to that place, but most children won't have the map. It seems a shame that all of the rich daydreams are shown to be potentially flawed rather than stops along the way. This is a lovely presentation of a concept that is sure to enchant adults and elude the audience for whom it may have been created.
Jody McCoy, The Bush School, Seattle, WA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers; First Edition, 1st Printing edition (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689815115
• ISBN-13: 978-0689815119
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 10 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #834,675 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book!, March 20, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: A Quiet Place (Hardcover)

A Quiet Place is a wonderful book to help kids realize that it is good for them to be quiet and think. With all the noise they experience during the day and their constant activities (including music, television, computers, electronic toys, etc.), it is so important for them to be able to think in quiet and daydream. This book gives wonderful examples of the different places a boy goes in his thoughts, and it shows him imagining himself to be different people or animals. For example, when walking on the beach he becomes an explorer discovering a lost continent, when laying in the snow he's a sleeping polar bear, when climbing a hill he becomes a mountain climber on top of the world, when visiting a museum he's an artist admiring his own masterpiece. It is extremely well written and captivating, and the illustrations are beautiful. I came upon this book at the library and am now on-line to order it for my 6 and 4 year old boys (who loved it).

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timely and Moving, March 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Quiet Place (Hardcover)

This story beautifully balances a child's inner self-esteem with a wonderful sense of adventure. The young boy in the book looks for "a quiet place" to escape from the intesity of the outside world. My son and I have read it every night for the last week, just before bed. Wonderful writing, truly breathtaking illustrations. The author's earlier work, GRANDAD'S PRAYER'S OF THE EARTH, is one of our favorites.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, February 21, 2007

By 

M. RingswaldEgan "Mark" (Cincinnati, OH, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Quiet Place (Paperback)

Douglas Wood is a breath a fresh air in our consumeristic world. He offers children a view of life that treasures the simple pleasures, and appreicate each moment life has to offer. A real find for children - AND adults.