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The Quiet Book
by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Renata Liwska
Houghton Mifflin
$12.95, ages 4-8, 32 pages
This enchanting book visits some of the ways animals can be quiet.
On one page a little bunny does stretches before anyone else wakes up. On another, a porcupine perched on a stool in a birthday hat makes a wish with all of his might, and later, two best friends, a bear and rabbit, chase waves on a beach together, contented in the silence of their play.
Liwska's illustrations are as soft and sweet as well-loved toys. What a wonderful way to segue into a little impromptu quiet time.
Over the Rainbow
illustrated by Eric Puybaret, with the voice of Judy Collins
Imagine Publishing, Inc., 2010
$17.95, ages 4-8, 26 pages
As a storm clears, a rainbow pours out of a cloud into a girl's window, beckoning her to crawl up its path to a magical place in the sky in this breathtaking adaptation of Arlen and E.Y. Harburg's song, "Over the Rainbow."
The girl, dressed in a night gown, sees a woman leaping from a cloud shaped like an outstretched hand, then follows her lead to play among the planets and soar with long-necked birds.
Readers will think they're already dreaming when they open the book and turn on the CD of Grammy Award-winner Collins' singing the classic song. Bring along a portable CD player and watch little faces grow serene.