Albert's Quiet Quest

Albert just wants to read his book in peace . . . why won't his friends give him some quiet? A delightful picture book about finding alone time from an internationally acclaimed illustrator.

There are so many distractions in Albert's Mile End neighborhood, what's a book-loving introvert to do? Desperate for a quiet place to read, Albert storms out to the alley behind his house where his friends and neighbors often meet to play. Lucky him -- not only is no one around today, but he finds an old painting of a beach scene that someone's left for the trash. The painting sparks Albert's imagination, spurring him on a zen-like quest for a quiet reading break on a sunset beach, a moment to unplug and find peace. And he almost does too, except for those meddling Mile End kids . . . who just want to have some fun, as LOUDLY as possible. Will Albert ever find a moment of quiet to enjoy his book? Or could his friends be looking for a book break of their own?

Readers will love this adorably relatable story of a quiet kid, his big imagination and bringing friends together through the magic of reading.

ISABELLE ARSENAULT studied graphic design at the Université du Quèbec a Montréal. She has achieved international recognition for her work and won many awards and distinctions, including three Governor General's Awards for Children's Literature, the Joe Shuster Award for Outstanding Artist, the Bologna Ragazzi Award in 2017, and IBBY Canada's Cleaver Picture Book Award, and has been featured twice on the New York Times' "10 Best Illustrated Books" list, in 2011 and 2013. In 2018, she was nominated for the Hans Christian Anderson Award by IBBY Canada. She lives with her family in Mile End, Montréal.