The Sound of a Smile
On sale
16th July 2026
Price: £14.99
A stunning illustrated children’s book exploring deafness, friendship and the universal ways in which we all communicate.
One girl can’t hear the noisy world around her. In her ears, those sounds are sleeping. But she has found sounds that are hiding . . .
Between the notes of a song.
Between the beats of a wing.
Between those sounds are my sounds.
And I listen.
What if someone in the noisy world listened to the beauty and magic of the silent things, too? Perhaps they might discover the sound of a smile – or even better, the sound of a friend.
Through this beautiful and heartwarming story, author and poet Louise Grieg has drawn from her own experience to portray a world where silence sings. Brought to life with stunning illustrations from David Litchfield (The Bear and the Piano), this is a book that encourages us all to put language barriers aside and come together in friendship.
One girl can’t hear the noisy world around her. In her ears, those sounds are sleeping. But she has found sounds that are hiding . . .
Between the notes of a song.
Between the beats of a wing.
Between those sounds are my sounds.
And I listen.
What if someone in the noisy world listened to the beauty and magic of the silent things, too? Perhaps they might discover the sound of a smile – or even better, the sound of a friend.
Through this beautiful and heartwarming story, author and poet Louise Grieg has drawn from her own experience to portray a world where silence sings. Brought to life with stunning illustrations from David Litchfield (The Bear and the Piano), this is a book that encourages us all to put language barriers aside and come together in friendship.
Reviews
Silent is my LOUD! A young deaf girl explains why not being able to hear doesn't mean her days are spent without sound in a moving and enlightening picture book from the award-winning duo of author and poet Louise Grieg and illustrator David Litchfield. Greig, who had to give up on plans to be an air stewardess because of her progressive deafness, draws on her own experiences to explore deafness, friendship and the universal ways in which we can all communicate.
Meet a girl who can't hear the noisy world around her. In her ears, those sounds are sleeping. But she has found sounds that are hiding... between the notes of a song, between the beats of a wing. And between those sounds are her sounds and she listens. What if someone in the noisy world listened to the beauty and magic of the silent things too? Perhaps they might discover the sound of a smile... or even better, the sound of a friend.
Litchfield's heartwarming and expressive illustrations put extra power and emotion into Greig's lyrical and beautiful portrayal of a world where silence sings and where hidden sounds and small movements like a friend's wave or a shrug can speak as loudly as a voice.
A girl who cannot hear the noisy world discovers intricate sounds hidden between a song's notes, a wing's beats and the quiet spaces other people miss. For 3+ year olds, this mesmerising and moving picture book explores deafness, friendship and communication through Louise Greig's lyrical text and David Litchfield's warm, expressive illustrations. Highly recommended.