My Quiet Book

Mrs. Hansman was a friend of my Mom's. She made this book for me many moons ago, when I was just five years old. She understood little girls get restless in church and need something to do, other than kick the pew in front of them. The outside is leather(ette?) and each page held something different. When I first got it, the flower smelled of perfume.

I used to spend lots of time switching the hands on the clock to make it say different times. I took the felt dog out of his house and pretended he was eating from the dish. Then I would make him walk back into his house. He had a leash made of yarn. Sometimes I would make up little stories in my head about him. The dog no longer lives in the house. He fell victim to too many trips back and forth for food.

I especially loved this pocket. I would zip and unzip it, pretending to be surprised at the contents - a little book to read to myself while the pastor expounded on the theological aspects of the genealogical order of Adam's family.

The left page held a little cloth baby who used the wee pink blanket sewn on one side only. I would lift up the blanket, take the baby out and then do it all over again. Mrs. Hansman must have been aware of developing fine motor skills because this shoe gave me lots of practice on how to make a bow.

This page was one of my favorites. I spent lots of time experimenting with the balloons in different color formations. Somewhere along the line, the red and yellow balloons went missing. I used up all the paper in the notebook drawing pictures, and writing love notes to anyone around me who might need a little break from the sermon.

This page gave me more fine-motor practice. I think the buttons came off the thread once or twice and my mom sewed them back in. Mr. Pocket had a hankie at one time. It was green and yellow flowered. I never used it for my nose, but I practiced some origami on it.


It never failed to fascinate me that Mrs. Hansmen could draw so well. Fish, and snakes (didn't look at that picture very much), and turtles and ducks. What could be better.

At one point the puff had a bit of powder on it, but that quickly wore off. But it was still fun to snap and unsnap it, until my Dad snapped his fingers at me to be more quiet, since the pastor was just about finished preaching.

Even the end of the book was fascinating. You can see the result of how many times my little fingers went through the book by the smudging on the picture.

I wonder in this day and age of hand held video games and personal DVD players if a little kid would love this book as much as I loved it when I was small. I know for sure that video games don't have the same tactile function. Or encourage all the fine motor skills and imagination that this gift used and inspired.

I wish I'd had a chance as a grown up to say a personal thank you to Mrs. Hansman for the time she took to make this book for me. It travelled the world with me, making dull moments into ones where I was absorbed into a world of imagination, as well as getting practice at grown up skills like tying my shoe. (and being quiet in church)