I Am Quiet (signed by the author during their visit to Whittier Elementary on November 30)

by Andie Powers and Betsy Petersen

(Bala Kids, hardcover, 2022)

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 Happy Puppy, Angry Tiger.