Quiet!

This is a book about noises, ordinary, every-day noises at home.  If there is a mum, we don’t meet her, but there is a cheerful dad, a baby brother, and a child who could be either male or female; I’m opting for a girl.  It is she who notices and identifies all the noises in the house.  In the kitchen, there’s the click of a toaster, a burbling kettle, a humming fridge, and a pinging microwave.  At dinner, the baby burps and bangs his spoon, the cat munches, and dad laughs.  Through the evening we hear different noises in different rooms, and as it wears on, there are bathroom noises and bedroom noises, the final of which is dad’s reading a story and then singing a song in his ‘deep quiet voice’.  It is a lovely story for any child, but is particularly so for a child with a sight impairment who is even more aware of the noises both small and large around the home and will enjoy a book aimed particularly at her world.  Inclusive because all children will enjoy the book and talking about the various home noises, it is also inclusive because it specifically includes those who see the world in a rather different way.  The illustrations are simple, bright and colourful, and the white background will help those with partial sightedness to be able to see them.  Altogether, a highly successful, simple story that will appeal to all children learning about their home environment.