When I Listen to Silence

When a child is asked to “Please, be quiet!” they sit silent … and their imagination sweeps them away on a breathtaking journey. 

Through the window, the child can hear the trees breathe and watches them sway back and forth as they begin to dance. Then bears join in, accompanied by the child on their drum, making so much noise they wake up a dragon! The dragon’s smoky breath fills the sky, and the wind forms a knight on a steed that gallops through the stars. The child’s adventure continues, as one wonderful flight of fancy leads to the next, from pirates to mermaids to whales, until they find themselves sitting silent once again among the trees. 

Jean E. Pendziwol has written a charming story-poem that looks at silence and stillness as an opportunity for the imagination and creativity to flourish. Carmen Mok’s magical illustrations flow from one spread to the next like animation, in a palette inspired by vintage printmaking.

Key Text Features

dialogue

illustrations

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3
With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.

JEAN E. PENDZIWOL is the author of Skating Wild on an Inland Sea, illustrated by Todd Stewart (Governor General’s Literary Award, the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award and the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award). She has also written When I Listen to Silence, illustrated by Carmen Mok; I Found Hope in a Cherry Tree, illustrated by Nathalie Dion; and Me and You and the Red Canoe, illustrated by Phil. She lives in Northwestern Ontario, on the shores of Lake Superior.

• Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book AwardShort-listed 2022

“The illustrations by Carmen Mak are soft and dark yet colourful all at once, giving an imaginative, dreamy vibe that is the perfect match for the story. This story … helps to show how silence can be a positive thing.” — Miramichi Reader

“Fairy-tale flashes of color dart across this bubbly story that celebrates being alone with one's own thoughts and dreams.” — Foreword Reviews

“Jean E. Pendziwol's beguiling circular story-poem celebrates the powerful delights of the imagination.” — Canadian Children's Book News

“Young readers can enjoy this small adventure either or on their own or in a group setting.” — CM: Canadian Review of Materials

“A beautiful ode to imagination and the magic of silence.” — Booklist

“Pendziwol's lilting, lyrical text … shows that sometimes a moment of quiet freedom can be a wonderful gift to a child's imagination.” — Quill & Quire