We all need a quiet place as an escape from the noise and distractions of modern life. Children seem to cope better with these annoyances but they also require down-periods of silence and retreat. On the opening pages of this picture book, aimed at children 3 to 7 years of age, Douglas Wood salutes the yearning for a place to renew and refuel our energy. Along with illustrator Dan Andreasen, he takes us on a quest with a young boy to discover a special space that can spur our imaginations — under a bush, in the woods, by the sea, in the desert, by a pond, in a cavern, on the top of a hill, in a snowdrift, in a museum or library.

But in the end, perhaps the best quiet place is our room where we can read, reflect, and nourish our fantasies, hopes, dreams, and wildest thoughts. The best quiet, writes Wood, is "the one inside you."

In our media-saturated society, there has been concern that children are now experiencing a "Nature Deficit" due to the inordinate amount of time they play with technological toys. A Quiet Place points to the need for kids to find a space where they can explore their own thoughts in silence and commune with the world around them.