Book Review of The Quiet Forest
The Children’s Book Review
The Quiet Forest
Written by Charlotte Offsay
Illustrated by Abi Cushman
Ages: 3+ | 40 Pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books (2024) | ISBN-13: 9781665926423
What to Expect: Biography, Art, Exploration, Oceanography, Determination, and Women’s History.
In the delightfully whimsical picture book The Quiet Forest, author Charlotte Offsay takes readers on a riotous journey through a peaceful woodland, where one small mishap sets off a chain reaction of increasingly chaotic events.
The story begins with a solitary mouse wandering through a tranquil forest until a simple “SPLAT!” sets off a domino effect of disruptions. Offsay’s text expertly builds the tension as each new animal introduced—a rattled rabbit, a bothered beaver, a drenched deer, a miserable moose, and a bellowing bear—adds to the escalating racket. The repetitive, rhythmic structure of the text mirrors the snowballing nature of the chaos, inviting young readers to join in the rising cacophony. Just as the noise reaches a crescendo, the arrival of the bear cub provides a soothing resolution with a single hug.
Offsay’s writing style is captivating and suited to the picture book format. Her well-paced and accessible language is descriptive and evocative, allowing readers to imagine the events unfolding in the forest vividly. From the “mischievous mouse” to the “bothered beaver” and “miserable moose,” the author’s word choices bring the characters to life. Strategic use of onomatopoeia and sound effects, such as “SPLAT!”, “THUMP!,” and “ZZZZZZZ” immerse the reader in the auditory experience of the forest. These textual cues mirror the escalating noise level and compel the reader to “hear” the story. The repetitive nature of the text also aids in comprehension and engagement for early readers.
With the help of Abi Cushman’s charming pencil and digital illustrations, this book captures the universal truth that even the most serene environments can quickly devolve into pandemonium. Cushman’s illustrations perfectly complement the story, using an earthy color palette as the backdrop for the mounting mayhem. Her pencil-and-digital artwork brings each forest creature to life with endearing expressiveness, from the mouse’s mischievous grin to the bear cub’s wide-eyed wonder. The level of detail in the backgrounds ensures that readers will discover new visual delights with each read-through.
With its reminder that even the loudest, most chaotic situations can be tempered by the simple power of love and compassion, The Quiet Forest is a delightful picture book that celebrates the natural world while also acknowledging the inherent humor in the unexpected disruptions that can occur, even in the most serene of settings. It is a delightful cacophony of forest friends.
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About the Author
Charlotte Offsay is the author of several children’s books, including A Grandma’s Magic, Challah Day!, and The Big Beach Cleanup. When she is having a particularly loud day, she can always count on her two small bear cubs and husband to bring calm and quiet back to their home in Los Angeles, California.
Learn more at CharlotteOffsay.com.
About the Illustrator
Abi Cushman is the author-illustrator of Soaked!, Animals Go Vroom!, and Wombats Are Pretty Weird. She is also the illustrator of Charlotte Offsay’s The Quiet Forest. She lives deep in the wooded suburbs of Connecticut with her husband and two mischievous kids, who make her home very loud indeed.
Visit her at AbiCushman.com.
Bianca Schulze reviewed The Quiet Forest. Discover more books like The Quiet Forest by reading our reviews and articles tagged with Biography, Art, Determination, and Women’s History.
