Goodreads Best Children's Book of 2022
Kid's Indie Next List Pick
Emile is not shy—he is quiet.
Emile may seem timid and shy on the outside, but on the inside he is bustling with imagination. While grownups and even other kids may see Emile as the shy kid who doesn’t raise his hand in class, we know that Emile is actually a high-seas adventurer, a daring explorer, and a friend to wild beasts.
This story honors and encourages the beauty of knowing ourselves for exactly who we are. Emile’s world shows us that the mind of a quiet child can be as rich, expansive, and bold as that of any other (more extroverted) child.
ANDIE POWERS is a writer for Bravery magazine (braverymag.com), an empowering educational magazine for children featuring a brave woman in each issue who has significantly impacted the world. Her love of children’s literature was kindled during a college internship at The Horn Book magazine. Since then, her work for children has been published by Root & Star, Brite Light, and Bravery, and her recent writing and social media work includes clients Red Cap Cards and Seattle's Child magazine. In 2016, she released an illustrated nonfiction crafting book, Print, Paint, and Ink: Over 20 Modern Craft Projects for You and Your Home, co-authored with Emily Grosse and published by Taunton.
BETSY PETERSEN is an artist, illustrator, and entrepreneur. She’s spent the past seven years building her own art business--collaborating with organizations such as Papyrus, Minnetonka, Childhoods Clothing, and Bravery magazine. You may have purchased or seen one of her amazing portraits, greeting-card designs, children’s clothing patterns, or another of her works. She is the co-author and illustrator of the forthcoming Happy Puppy, Angry Tiger (May 2021).
“This is a book for every child who has been told by adults that they are ‘shy,’ in that condescending way that implies that their way of being is a phase that needs to be outgrown. Emile shows us how strength and answers and friendship can be quiet.”—Booklist, Starred Review
“Whether readers gain energy from solo time or from a group, they will find much to admire in this book’s protagonist, who is comfortable in the world and in their skin.”—Publishers Weekly
“This story reassures and empowers introverted children and conveys their strengths to extroverted children and adults. It’s also a much-needed counter to similar titles that encourage quieter children to adapt. A refreshing, inspiring voice for young readers.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Charming, entertaining, thoroughly 'kid friendly' in tone, I Am Quiet will prove to be an immediately welcome and enduringly appreciated addition to family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library 'Life Skills' picture book collections for children.”—Midwest Book Review
“By giving children a window into what it's like to be an introvert—and how it differs from being shy—I Am Quiet raises awareness in outgoing children and builds esteem in those who are introspective.”—Spirituality & Practice
“I've never read a book that so beautifully captures what it’s like to be an introvert. Quiet is not always shyness, but perhaps something more, something open. A gift to all children (and adults) who grapple with quietness in a loud world.”
