The Inactivity Book
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- 4,49 €
Publisher Description
From the author of the Caldecott Honor-winning NOODLES ON A BICYCLE comes a poetic celebration of doing... not much at all.
Have you ever felt like becoming a perch for passing birds? Or curling into the corneriest corner you can find? Maybe you’ve imagined yourself as a sleepy monument or even a sea sponge at the bottom of the ocean. If you have, then you’re ready to discover the magic of doing nothing at all.
Told in Kyo Maclear's signature lyrical voice, and with Tracy Subisak’s whimsical illustrations, here is a funny ode to the lost art of loafing. In a world that often celebrates productivity, this picture book reminds us of the quiet, necessary joy of simply being. It's perfect for idlers of all ages--because who doesn’t need a little inactivity now and then?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Maclear (Noodles on a Bicycle) and Subisak (Sorry, Snail) make a fresh case for inactivity, treating it not as a prescribed virtue but as a mischievous creative practice. "If you have/ a yawn/ or a sigh/ or a little wish to/ topple, into/ bed.... There are many ways to slow down," the how-to text promises before launching into a fanciful catalog of what a child might embody in the service of quietude. Watercolor, ink, crayon, and pencil artwork makes this stillness feel alive, as the child, portrayed with brown skin and a serene mien, becomes an "ancient mountain" conjured up out of a blanket, a dino waiting for an egg to hatch, and a climbing structure for garden creatures. The prose has a refreshing directness, whether it's playful ("Assume the shrubbyness of a shrub"), irreverent ("Lying on the floor, you might make yourself into a monument to a sleeping person"), or quietly philosophical ("...do you have time to do nothing? To be timeless?"). Focused around paying attention and playing along, this singular slow-down book models how doing nothing can feel utterly worthwhile. Ages 4–8. Author's agent: Jackie Kaiser, Westwood Creative Artists. Illustrator's agent: Lori Kilkelly, LK Literary Agency.
