Embracing Active Listening

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 to. 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 is very intentional with her words, emphasizing all of Myra Louise’ strengths: listening, reading, thinking and noticing. The author 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. There is a real strength that shines through Myra Louise in her determination to show the people around her why she is quiet. This story 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.