Albert's Quiet Quest
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
Albert just wants to read his book in peace . . . why won't his friends give him some quiet? A delightful picture book about finding alone time from an internationally acclaimed illustrator.
There are so many distractions in Albert's Mile End neighborhood, what's a book-loving introvert to do? Desperate for a quiet place to read, Albert storms out to the alley behind his house where his friends and neighbors often meet to play. Lucky him -- not only is no one around today, but he finds an old painting of a beach scene that someone's left for the trash. The painting sparks Albert's imagination, spurring him on a zen-like quest for a quiet reading break on a sunset beach, a moment to unplug and find peace. And he almost does too, except for those meddling Mile End kids . . . who just want to have some fun, as LOUDLY as possible. Will Albert ever find a moment of quiet to enjoy his book? Or could his friends be looking for a book break of their own?
Readers will love this adorably relatable story of a quiet kid, his big imagination and bringing friends together through the magic of reading.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The follow-up to Arsenault's Colette's Lost Pet stars Albert, whose search for a quiet place to read is told with restraint. Frustrated by the racket inside his house, Albert drags a chair into the alley and parks it in front of a discarded painting: an ocean sunset done in tints of orange and aqua. In his imagination, he's at the beach in possession of a refuge with an inviting view. But he soon experiences interruptions as, one by one, his neighbors intrude to garden, play badminton, listen to dance music, and more. Arsenault draws all this activity taking place on Albert's "beach," her loose pencil lines and expressive shading conveying his growing frustration as the arrival of additional children raises the decibel level. At last, Albert hollers ("For Pete's sake, can't someone just read a book around here or what?!"), and his friends react by respecting his wishes in a particularly warm and loving way that includes the entire group. In Arsenault's ideal neighborhood, independent children make their own decisions and form their own community, and they resolve their own conflicts, too. Ages 3 7.
