• Age: 3 to 7
• Grade: p to 2
• Reading age: 3 to 7

When Willow speaks, her words slip out as soft and shy as a secret. At school, her barely audible whisper causes her no end of troubles. But Willow is as resourceful as she is quiet, and she fashions a magic microphone from items she finds in the recycling bin.

But Willow's clever invention is only a temporary solution. How will this quiet little girl make herself heard?

LANA BUTTON a grandi dans la petite ville frontalière de St. Stephen, au Nouveau-Brunswick. Elle a une formation d’actrice et d’éducatrice de la petite enfance. Ses albums illustrés ont été en nomination pour plusieurs récompenses, dont les prix Blue Spruce, Shining Willow, le Jean Throop IODE Award et le Rainforest of Reading. Elle est bénévole pour les organisations littéraires IBBY Canada, First Book et One World Schoolhouse. Lana et son mari ont trois filles adultes et vivent à Burlington, en Ontario.

LANA BUTTON grew up in the tiny border town of St. Stephen, New Brunswick. She has a background in acting and early childhood education. She writes for young children, and her picture books have been shortlisted for numerous awards. She enjoys reading books out loud whenever she gets the chance.

Lana Button's profile page

Tania Howells Tania Howells’s illustrations have wowed a crowd of commercial clients and also appeared in Chirp and Today’s Parent, among other publications. Berkeley’s Barn Owl Dance is her first picture book. Tania lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Tania Howells' profile page

• Winner, Best Books for Kids & Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre
• Winner, Best Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street Children's Book Committee
• Short-listed, Shining Willow Award, Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice Award
• Short-listed, Blue Spruce Award, Ontario Library Association
• Winner, Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities, IBBY

Shy, quiet kids will take heart at Willow's small victories.

Quill & Quire

A victory for any reader who struggles to be heard, even metaphorically.

Kirkus Reviews

There is nothing cloying about the sweetness of this book. The playful use of font sizes, the simply drawn, brightly colored figures and, most of all, the perfect pitch of its text, see to that.

The Globe and Mail

Limited text and simple sentences, combined with a strong character who solves her own problems, make this a successful selection.

School Library Journal