BOOKS

It Was So Quiet I Could Hear a Pin Drop

by Andy GOODMAN
illus. by Andy Goodman. 36p. Princeton Architectural. May 2016. Tr $15.95. ISBN 9781616894801.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 2—Goodman is a graphic designer, and this title is a mostly visual experience that ties images to sounds. It is so quiet that the narrator can hear all the things that are pictured: a fluttering kite, a buzzing bee, and a ticking wristwatch. But soon the sounds become louder…a baby cries and someone sings in the bath. Sounds appear that are louder still…stampeding elephants and the roar of a locomotive give the narrator pause. Could it all have been a dream? Goodman uses various styles for his prints, from nostalgic to geometric, all on white background. This book can be used for writing and art prompts in classrooms and explorations of visual literacy. Readers can re-create the sounds of a volcano erupting and a cat on a keyboard.
VERDICT The open-ended conclusion may elicit discussion, but overall, the title is a bit too flat to be of general interest.
Reviewed by Lisa Lehmuller, Paul Cuffee Maritime Charter School, Providence, RI
The narrator, represented by a pale blue silhouette on a swing, listens to soft noises: kites fluttering, a bee buzzing, etc. As sounds get louder, the font size increases until huge imaginary noises ("elephants stampeding," "volcano exploding") take over. "I must have been dreaming." Sophisticated design employs Victorian-looking images and modern, color-saturated shapes against expansive white space. A treat for the senses.
 , Jun 01, 2016

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