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Listen
When a biracial (Black/white) girl steps out from her house onto a busy city street, all she hears is noise. But the text encourages young readers to “stop, close your eyes, and listen. Can you hear each sound?” The soft pencil-and-watercolor illustrations help to isolate each sound the girl hears: a barking dog, a beeping horn, a moving truck, and a motorcycle. As the girl walks to school with her white dad pushing a younger sibling in a stroller, she continues to listen for distinct sounds among the city noises: the “slap-slap-slap” of shoes, the “thump-thump-thump” of a jump rope, and someone calling “hello” from across the playground. In school, the text asks the reader to listen to the sounds of the words we’re hearing, some short and snappy, some lo-o-o-ng, some happy, and some hurtful. Throughout the day, we are encouraged to do different kinds of listening. Listen to the quiet, then past the quiet, then to the voice inside yourself. As her Black mother tucks her into bed at the end of the day, the girl hears the “nighttime hush” and soft exchange of good-nights before falling asleep in her cozy bed. An endnote offers more information on hearing and listening, which helps to extend this book’s usefulness as a story about a single sense or as an introduction to mindfulness for young children. ©2022 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Stephanie Graegin
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 3-7
Age Range:
Babies/Toddlers (birth – 3)
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
African Americans
City Life
Multiracial Characters/Families
Observation
Diversity subject:
Black/African
Publishers:
Paula Wiseman Books, Simon & Schuster
Publish Year: 2021
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9781534461895
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Snyder