Be Quiet!

by Ryan T. Higgins

All Rupert the mouse wants is to star in a beautiful, wordless picturebook. One that's visually stimulating! With scenic pictures! And style! He has plenty of ideas about what makes a great book, but his friends just WON'T. STOP. TALKING.

Children and adults alike will chuckle at this comedic take on bookmaking from acclaimed author-illustrator Ryan T. Higgins.

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Storytime, Fantasy

40 pages, Hardcover

First published April 4, 2017

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each year my family reads all the Goodreads-award-nominated picture books, and we have been doing this for years. Everyone rates each book and adds a comment and it may (or may not) affect my overall rating. This is book #13 of 2017.

Tara: 4 stars. Cute.

Harry (12): 3.5 stars. I like the silent superhero thing--that's a good idea.

Hank (11): 2.2 stars. The same subject the whole time.

Lyra (10): 4 stars. He wanted the other mice to be quiet; when they weren't, he blabbered on about how they should be quiet. Great pictures!

Dave: 3 stars. Rupert's goal is to star in a wordless (silent) picture book with quiet cucumbers and potatoes, but his friends can't stay quiet, they talk too much. Silly kid talk on this level: "No onomatopeia!" but they mistake it for "I'm a gonna pee-ya"and decide they have to go to the bathroom before beginning the story. Rupert being driven crazy by all the nonsense. Me, too, kinda. The third in a series, introduced in Hotel Bruce, I am told.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this third book in the Mother Bruce series, the focus is on the mice we met in book two. Rupert (the sort of brainy mouse) has decided he'd like this book to be a wordless picture book. His two friends (brothers?) try to assist him with making this book, but they can't keep their mouths shut, so they're ruining the effect of the wordless book.

This book downright annoyed me. It definitely didn't help that I already thought the mice were kind of jerks from the second book in this series. What was worse, though, is that it reminded me of being a kid and working on some kind of project with a detailed plan and then being expected mid-plan to include my younger sister. Yes, sharing is a lovely skill to build. But having "helpers" forced upon you who won't follow the original plan is just frustrating. I actually felt a bit angry as I read this.

However, those folks who are a little less rigid will probably be amused by some of the silly antics. I dunno. Maybe younger siblings will also find this book more palatable than I did.

2.5 stars rounded up.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ryan T. Higgins is climbing my favorite picture book author list in a hurry. He’s taking giant strides and two steps at a time with a smile on his face!

Be Quiet! made me smile at page one. And I mean smile after a grumpy, rough & tumble kind of day. These adorable little mice—Rupert, Thistle and Nibbs—will cause giggles galore in readers of all ages. The faces!!! The faces they pull with wide eyes and big grins are hilarious and sweet and so vivid. Mr. Higgins captures his characters on the page with huge personality, bursting color, and high energy movement. I swear it looks as if they could pop out of the book and help tuck you into bed. Their little hands move with such joy and enthusiasm as they try, try, TRY to be quiet.

Rupert wants to create a wordless book, but his talkative pals just keep on talking, chatting, and gabbing. Will Rupert finally convince his friends to be quiet? You’re going to have to read to find out.

A perfect read aloud tale with sweet words like “wowee” and super fantastic words like onomatopoeia (also known as “Ima-gonna-pee-a”). :D The silliness begs to be read out loud actually! Bruce, mimes, and Captain Quiet all drop into the action as well adding fun on top of fun. The laughs just build & build page by page. The kids will be rolling by the end! A laugh out loud story that can be experienced again and again. It comes out different every time I read it by changing up my tone and speed and voices. Haha….Pure fun!

Highly recommended. Come join the fun! Pick this one up for sure.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Rupert, one of the mice from author/artist Ryan T. Higgins' Hotel Bruce , decides to create a wordless picture-book, he finds that it is more difficult than he imagined. Two other mice, Nibbs and Thistle, are just as enthusiastic at the prospect of creating such a book - loudly and vocally enthusiastic! - and Rupert can't seem to shut them up. What's a mouse to do...?

In this hilarious meta-fictional follow-up to Mother Bruce and Hotel Bruce , Higgins once again pairs an entertaining back-and-forth narrative with colorful, appealing illustrations. Like its predecessors, BE QUIET! would make for an excellent read-aloud selection, and will undoubtedly keep young listeners giggling, if performed with the right voices. There's even a cameo from Bruce the bear, and one of his goslings! Recommended to fans of Higgins' earlier books, and to anyone looking for good new meta-fictional children's stories.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore Ryan T. Higgins’s We Don't Eat Our Classmates, and the writer and illustrator’s Be Quiet! proves nearly as delightful. Poor Rupert the mouse envisions a wordless picture book of poetic grandeur. But his pals simply cannot — cannot! — shut up! Hilarious for kids and their parents and grandparents, as well.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spin-off of Mother Bruce with those annoying mice. Best part imo is the cameo by Bruce. Second best is the artwork & design. But this 'meta' trope has been done before, and getting to know the mice better just makes them even more annoying. To me.

Plenty of ppl love this book, though, and they are right to give it four or five stars. It is a great book. For them.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third picture book by Ryan T. Higgins that I've read. While it isn't my favourite, it's still really good.

Rupert the mouse decides he wants to make a wordless picture book because they're "very artistic". Unfortunately, his two friends have other ideas. They mean well, but while they're trying to help, they just keep talking. The result is that there are words on every page of this "wordless" picture book.

The illustrations are as charming as ever, with great facial expressions on Rupert and his friends and a detailed forest setting. Characters from some of Higgins's other books even make cameos. While this book is a little short on story, it's still plenty amusing, and the characters are great.

Quotable moment:

[B.A. Malisch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read 104 picture books with a 2017 copyright date in the last month, and this is my favorite so far. It actually made me chuckle, which says a lot, as I'm a hard sell these days. I sit on a committee that reads about 150-175 picture books a year, and as a result, I've read a lot of current picture books in the past 3 years and have a lot of opinions at this point. It becomes harder and harder to wow me each year.

This concept is adorable, and the story is really funny. The illustrations are fantastic, and it has good vocabulary. I liked absolutely everything about it, and I took time to write this review, which is something I rarely will do for a picture book.

I would buy this for my niece and nephews in a heartbeat. You should, too.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colin says 'This book is so funny I have to read it over and over and over.'

[Elizabeth☮ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is hilarious! The premise is Rupert wants to write a wordless book, but his two friends keep talking about what should go in the book.

This has nice illustrations along with great vocabulary. I am going to buy this as soon as I can.

[Casandria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious! Best for older kids--they would appreciate the "artistic" aspect and the jokes :)
Books
Quiet

[Dax · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my second read. The first time I was at work and kept laughing so much that patrons and staff alike came to inquire about my boisterous joy. The second go around we did an adult story time. I would flip the page ready to maintain composure but never succeeded. This book is a truly hilarious, wonderful bit of ridiculousness that I need to buy and read on every sad day that ever exists to remind me of the joy that exists in the world! I will forever bow to Ryan T. Higgins in his brilliance of illustrations and hilarious stories that make me forget the bad in the world, even if just for 5 minutes.

[Samantha Matherne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rupert sets out to have a wordless book, but his friends(?) ruin it for him from page one. The story made me laugh out, and the illustrations are eye-popping. Life lessons can be learned from Rupert’s experience such as going with the flow and not stressing about things it is your hands.

[DJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the cutest books I've ever read. Read it if you like feeling happy.

[David Cluett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clever and witty! Brilliant read

[Liam O'Callaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a humourous read about Rupert the Mouse trying to keep everyone quiet throughout the book. The title says it all and I highly recommend it, using onomatopoeia during the book. A wonderful class read making the class laugh throughout. Ryan T.Higgins makes this an enjoyable read, go and check it out yourself

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really cute, fun, and quirky children’s book. One mouse wants to write a sophisticated book that is wordless and depicts the story solely through evocative imagery. Two of his friends appear and want to be involved in the writing process and keep on messing it up by speaking.

[D'Iberville Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

These mice were introduced in Hotel Bruce and now they get their own little story.

Rupert wants to write a book without words. However, this is a very difficult task when his buddies cannot stop talking. They give each other suggestions and have a hard time understanding what "visually stimulating" means. This is a laugh out loud book.

Highly recommended.

[Lesley Burnap · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book may not be as visually stimulating (or as quiet) as Rupert would like, but it IS hysterically funny! Well done, Mr. RT Higgins!

[melhara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quickly downloaded this from Overdrive the moment I finished We Don't Eat Our Classmates because I loved Ryan T. Higgins’ story and artwork. While We Don't Eat Our Classmates is definitely suitable for little kids, I'm not sure I can say the same about Be Quiet!. Be Quiet! contains beautiful illustrations that kids will surely enjoy, but I doubt they would understand some of the vocabulary or most of the jokes.

Be Quiet! is about Rupert the mouse who wants to star in an artistic and 'visually stimulating' wordless picture book except... he keeps getting interrupted by his noisy friends who just won't stop talking!


Overall, it's a good book but I just didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hope.

[Chance Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Be Quiet! a mouse wants to make a wordless book but his friends won't stop talking.

I feel like this book is mostly adult jokes, but maybe kids will like it? I'm not sure I'm personally brave enough to read it at storytime because I'm not good at voices. Maybe if I had a cast of characters to help me.

I love the physical design of this book. The jacket, the cover, the end papers, everything is packed with colorful detail.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very amusing book! A picture book that is supposed to be 'wordless' but the characters just keep talking! This book is a picture book that is aimed at older children. With the use of terminology, such as 'onomatopoeia' it offers challenges to the readers despite it being a picture book.

[Liesl · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son got a big kick out of the onomatopoeia/Ima-gonna-pee-a exchange. Rare achievement unlocked: laughter-induced hiccups.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny. And love that Bruce has a cameo. And during the second reading I spotted one of Bruce's goslings.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kids laughed a lot while I read this book.

[Kristin Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this one before I found the Bruce books and it made me laugh. The attempt to write a wordless picture book is foiled by the main character's pals. It reminded me of several books, like The Monster at the End of this Book and We are in a Book! and The Three Pigsand others where the reader is involved in the writing process. So much fun! Then when I read the Bruce books immediately after, I liked this book even more because he uses elements from those books in this one. Plus Ryan T. Higgins uses every available space to tell his story, including the endpages. I'm a sucker for books that do that, as if there are hidden parts of the story that only the observant get to enjoy!

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The mouse friends from Mother Bruce are back in their third hilariously entertaining picture book. When the mice fail in the hotel business, Hotel Bruce, Nibbs comes up with a new career path for himself, becoming an author of wordless picture books. Buddies Rupert and Thistle love the idea, and beg to be included in the story. They have one problem, their exuberance leads to lots of speech bubbles on Nibbs' supposedly wordless picture book. When furious Nibbs tells them "no onomatopoeia" they mistake it for, "Ima-goona-pee-a" and decide that he should have gone to the bathroom before beginning the story. Old friend, the contankerous Bruce the bear, shares a double page spread with a wily kitten, that could spell disaster for the whole tiny rodent gang. With Ryan Higgins signature graphite and ink expressive cartoon like illustrations, this is a book that needs to be read-aloud to all ages of elementary students. The message "Be Quiet!" proves a challenge for most classrooms these days. Ryan Higgins genius book, might be the perfect solution for a read-aloud at the beginning or end of the school year. A must have for all elementary school libraries!

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: Finally! I get my very own book to star in. This is going to be great! I'm going to make it a wordless book. They are very artistic. This book will have NO WORDS at all. Starting....NOW.

Premise/plot: Rupert the Mouse is in the process of creating/writing/starring-in a WORDLESS picture book. Or is he?! When Thistle and Nibbs interrupt this work-in-progress, it seems doomed to fail. Neither mouse seems to understand the meaning of the word QUIET. Though both seem super-excited at the idea of being in a book--wordless or not.

My thoughts: The dialogue in this one is GREAT fun--regardless your age, in my opinion. I enjoyed hearing these three talk about how wonderful, how fantastic, how artistic WORDLESS picture books are. I love all the talking about the writing/creating process. I love that Bruce makes an appearance--though very, very brief. The book as a whole is just funny and amusing.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely funny and adorable; breaks the fourth wall. Rupert the mouse wants to create a "visually stimulating wordless picture book," but his friends Nibbs and Thistle keep adding words: lots and lots of words that Rupert doesn't want, because they are just too talkative for his plans! Creative, humorous wordplay and amusing illustrations that are, indeed, visually stimulating, created using scans of treated clayboard for textures, graphite, ink, and Photoshop. Written and illustrated by the author of Mother Bruce and its sequel Hotel Bruce.

[The Library Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny stuff that your 2 or 3 year old will NOT GET!

On the other hand, perfect for lovers of Melanie Watt's Chester, and other books in the "Duck Amok" tradition. And speaking of cartoons, the artwork here makes the mice look a great deal like Stich from: "Lilo and Stich," but it's fun art.

P.S. A warning for those who have issues with such: there is a pee joke here. One more reason your older preschoolers or early elementary age boy will roar over this one.