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Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book
Everyone is enjoying quiet time, but little Banshee just wants to have fun the only way she knows how: Loudly.
Join Banshee as she counts her way through the Irish landscape in search of anyone ready to have some not-so-quiet fun. It's gonna be a blast: You can count it.
Hush Now, Banshee! is commercial-quality, 7x6", 30 pages, full color, 40 pt matte-laminated paper board book.
Join Banshee as she counts her way through the Irish landscape in search of anyone ready to have some not-so-quiet fun. It's gonna be a blast: You can count it.
Hush Now, Banshee! is commercial-quality, 7x6", 30 pages, full color, 40 pt matte-laminated paper board book.
30 pages, Board book
Published October 5, 2017
1 person is currently reading
92 people want to read
About the author
Kyle Sullivan
24 books34 followersKyle Sullivan's board books, picture books and middle-grade chapter books have sold more than 150,000 copies worldwide. Featuring monsters and themes from world myths and folklore, Kyle's books promote empathy, inclusivity and imagination, while appealing to parents, guardians, and teachers as much as they appeal to young readers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
August 22, 2024
Yes, yes, yes and indeed in very many ways, Kyle and Derek Sullivan's 2017 board book Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book is visually and illustratively fun, presents an engaging, delightful and gloriously colourful tool for teaching and practicing both adding the numbers from one to ten and also later subtracting the numbers from ten to one (and with the Sullivan brothers for Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book using a creative assortment of cutely rendered magical Irish creatures/monsters, the banshee of the book title, ghosts, hobgoblins, bog monsters, trolls, fairy warriors, leprechauns as well as some local Irish fishermen and a group of druids alongside of cleverly rollicking and playful rhymes to teach young children their numbers and how to count both forwards and backwards).
And indeed, Derek Sullivan’s (digital) artwork for Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book is cartoony, sweet and he adds sufficient detail to the illustrations without the pictures becoming visually overwhelming for the intended age group, for toddlers from about the age of two to four or five, so that Banshee for example is shown with a cheery disposition, as playful, perpetually excited, and that yes, all of the magical creatures featured in Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book are depicted as being never frightening or creepy looking (and indeed, with the only mildly or potentially uncanny appearing illustrations Sullivan features in Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book in fact being humans and not really the monsters and ghosts, being the Irish fishermen and in particular those nine druids with their large and expressionless eyes, that the Irish folklore creatures of Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book look huggably cuddly and with no physical attributes or features that could in my opinion scare or creep out young and/or sensitive children).
But just to point that while I do like the general set-up for Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book and that the combination of Derek Sullivan's fun and colourful pictures and his twin brother Kyle's lively text does tend to make me smile (and is both toddler friendly and also for the most part very nicely numerically educational), there unfortunately are three textual issues I have found with Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book (and that taken together they sufficiently annoy and frustrate me to negatively and lastingly affect potential reading pleasure and thus also my star rating, which has now slipped from an original consideration of four to but three stars).
For one (and yes indeed, this does kind of hugely make me cringe), while I certainly appreciate the idea of Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book teaching young children that there are times for being noisy and times for being quiet, I certainly and hugely chafe at the fact that Banshee is always being told to be quiet, that she is never being told in Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book that it is alright and fine to sometimes be loud and exuberantly boisterous (and considering that Banshee is illustrated and obviously meant to be a little girl, there certainly is a feeling that little girls should be seen and not heard all that much inhabiting the pages of Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book and that this does make me feel rather frustrated and also rather uncomfortable). For two, while the numbers from one to nine in Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book appear nicely linear and straight-forward, counting backwards from ten becomes more than a bit confusing and as such also a trifle annoying (and should definitely be handled by Kyle Sullivan in a more organised and less potentially distracting and confusing manner). Finally, for three (and although not in any manner a huge deal and just something that would be or could be interesting for care givers, for parents, teachers, babysitters etc.) I do wish that at the back of Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book there would be a bit of folkloric information on the druids, banshees, bog monsters etc. provided (and maybe a list of book titles for further reading as well).
And indeed, Derek Sullivan’s (digital) artwork for Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book is cartoony, sweet and he adds sufficient detail to the illustrations without the pictures becoming visually overwhelming for the intended age group, for toddlers from about the age of two to four or five, so that Banshee for example is shown with a cheery disposition, as playful, perpetually excited, and that yes, all of the magical creatures featured in Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book are depicted as being never frightening or creepy looking (and indeed, with the only mildly or potentially uncanny appearing illustrations Sullivan features in Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book in fact being humans and not really the monsters and ghosts, being the Irish fishermen and in particular those nine druids with their large and expressionless eyes, that the Irish folklore creatures of Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book look huggably cuddly and with no physical attributes or features that could in my opinion scare or creep out young and/or sensitive children).
But just to point that while I do like the general set-up for Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book and that the combination of Derek Sullivan's fun and colourful pictures and his twin brother Kyle's lively text does tend to make me smile (and is both toddler friendly and also for the most part very nicely numerically educational), there unfortunately are three textual issues I have found with Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book (and that taken together they sufficiently annoy and frustrate me to negatively and lastingly affect potential reading pleasure and thus also my star rating, which has now slipped from an original consideration of four to but three stars).
For one (and yes indeed, this does kind of hugely make me cringe), while I certainly appreciate the idea of Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book teaching young children that there are times for being noisy and times for being quiet, I certainly and hugely chafe at the fact that Banshee is always being told to be quiet, that she is never being told in Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book that it is alright and fine to sometimes be loud and exuberantly boisterous (and considering that Banshee is illustrated and obviously meant to be a little girl, there certainly is a feeling that little girls should be seen and not heard all that much inhabiting the pages of Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book and that this does make me feel rather frustrated and also rather uncomfortable). For two, while the numbers from one to nine in Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book appear nicely linear and straight-forward, counting backwards from ten becomes more than a bit confusing and as such also a trifle annoying (and should definitely be handled by Kyle Sullivan in a more organised and less potentially distracting and confusing manner). Finally, for three (and although not in any manner a huge deal and just something that would be or could be interesting for care givers, for parents, teachers, babysitters etc.) I do wish that at the back of Hush Now, Banshee!: A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book there would be a bit of folkloric information on the druids, banshees, bog monsters etc. provided (and maybe a list of book titles for further reading as well).
December 16, 2023
I did not know I could relate to a character so much. I mean yes it's a counting board book but there is also a discussion of volume control. This is me constantly being told I am too loud and need to quiet down.
January 17, 2021
This is probably my favorite out of the Hazy Dell Press books my baby received from her Aunt because I just love the Banshee's design. Banshee is ADORABLE and I think everyone can relate to her. I love the art and Banshee's expressions. I didn't love that she was repeatedly was told how she was too loud, and I'm not sure how I feel about that message... as little kids, especially little girls, are often told to be quiet and that they are too loud. At the end, Banshee's "friends" basically tell her she has to learn to stop being so loud if she wants to be friends with them and.... eh, I am not into that whatsoever. She is just excited! And you know, it's not as if she was *inside*! She didn't have to use her inside voice, which is a much better direction to go when a kid is being extremely loud indoors.
But maybe kids will just see this a a cute counting book and this momma is just looking too deeply into it! After all, with a bunch of silly voices this is really fun to read aloud and I think it would be great to learn counting with.
But maybe kids will just see this a a cute counting book and this momma is just looking too deeply into it! After all, with a bunch of silly voices this is really fun to read aloud and I think it would be great to learn counting with.
December 31, 2020
We love the Hazy Dell books and this is one of our favorites. Banshee is relatable and adorable. We love practicing our counting with the different creatures. The cadence of the book also makes it quite fun to read aloud. Definitely recommend! (Though maybe not before bedtime if you want the full effect!)
March 26, 2021
Wonderful 'count to ten' board book that is based on Irish mythology - for a small child who is having a hard time understanding 'quiet time'.
March 15, 2019
This isn't really a typical board book, in the fact that it's long and has lots of words. That's not a bad thing, just my tyke doesn't sit still for that many pages yet if there are no flaps or things to move :)
That aside, this is a fun rhyming book about little goblins and bog monsters and fairy warriors....who just want to enjoy some quiet time, and here comes the toddler...I mean Banshee. This book is meant to be read aloud.....with voices. Good fun.
That aside, this is a fun rhyming book about little goblins and bog monsters and fairy warriors....who just want to enjoy some quiet time, and here comes the toddler...I mean Banshee. This book is meant to be read aloud.....with voices. Good fun.
September 16, 2019
My nearly two year old daughter loves this book and I like that it introduces her and her twin brother to fantastical creatures. However, the similes don't make sense to the context of their use and it really annoys me. I also find I'm not completely comfortable with a female protagonist being repeatedly told to be quite by nearly all (if not all) male characters. The concept could have been better executed without implied misogyny and poor writing.
December 5, 2018
Cute rhyming and counting board book with a banshee, goblins, ghosts, leprechauns, and fairies. Teaches about when to be loud and when to be quiet, too.
March 29, 2019
This peculiar counting book features Banshee, wailing away around the Irish countryside and being reprimanded by humans and fantastic creatures alike.
March 19, 2021
Adorable, love it. Also super sturdy book so no danger of kiddo ripping pages
February 15, 2021
I may be biased because my wife and I bought this book for out nespring, but it's amazing, and the kiddo loves! The rhyme scheme is simple, as are the words, but the language isn't stilted or forced. It references daily things -- alarm clocks and snoring dads. etc -- that little people have experience with to teach them similes. Caregivers are challenged to imitate the word Banshee yells in greeting in the way the text describes with mixed -- and often hilarious -- result. The art style is unique, eye catching, and cute without being twee.
Wife: My firetruck Hiiiiiii is getting pretty good!
Kiddo: Bee, bee, bee *as she grabs the book and brings it over to be read again* It should be mentioned that she also now grunts along as if she is counting with Banshee: uh, ooo. eee. foe... So, I'd call this a win!
Wife: My firetruck Hiiiiiii is getting pretty good!
Kiddo: Bee, bee, bee *as she grabs the book and brings it over to be read again* It should be mentioned that she also now grunts along as if she is counting with Banshee: uh, ooo. eee. foe... So, I'd call this a win!
September 6, 2018
Hush Now, Banshee! is a delightful board book that uses a creative assortment of monstrous creatures — including ghosts, trolls, and bog monsters — and clever, rollicking rhymes to teach young children how to count. It’s hard to pick a favorite creature, but I’m awfully fond of the fairy warriors.
I love Derek Sullivan’s art style. It’s cartoony and sweet, and he adds the perfect level of detail to his illustrations. Banshee’s character design is adorable. She’s cheery, playful, and perpetually excited, and Sullivan conveys her emotions wonderfully through subtle changes to his clean, simple lines.
One of my favorite parts of the book is when the other creatures ask Banshee for some quiet time and invite her to count to 10. Ironically, counting books don’t always take the time to slow down and just count. There are rhymes and pictures and jokes in between all the numbers, which is fabulous, but there’s not always a lot of connection between the numbers themselves. So it’s refreshing to have a moment in the book for kids to simply count along, and I appreciate the challenge presented by counting backwards.
Banshee’s irrepressible joy and affection for her friends makes this book incredibly fun to read. Her enthusiasm is infectious, and kids will love counting along with her. They’ll love shouting along with her too, but the end of the story will show that even banshees need quiet time.
Hazy Dell Press has another winner on its hands with Hush Now, Banshee!, which stands out from the crowd with its creative rhymes and characters and delightful artwork. This is a charming, hilarious counting book that’s sure to be a favorite among kids and adults alike.
I love Derek Sullivan’s art style. It’s cartoony and sweet, and he adds the perfect level of detail to his illustrations. Banshee’s character design is adorable. She’s cheery, playful, and perpetually excited, and Sullivan conveys her emotions wonderfully through subtle changes to his clean, simple lines.
One of my favorite parts of the book is when the other creatures ask Banshee for some quiet time and invite her to count to 10. Ironically, counting books don’t always take the time to slow down and just count. There are rhymes and pictures and jokes in between all the numbers, which is fabulous, but there’s not always a lot of connection between the numbers themselves. So it’s refreshing to have a moment in the book for kids to simply count along, and I appreciate the challenge presented by counting backwards.
Banshee’s irrepressible joy and affection for her friends makes this book incredibly fun to read. Her enthusiasm is infectious, and kids will love counting along with her. They’ll love shouting along with her too, but the end of the story will show that even banshees need quiet time.
Hazy Dell Press has another winner on its hands with Hush Now, Banshee!, which stands out from the crowd with its creative rhymes and characters and delightful artwork. This is a charming, hilarious counting book that’s sure to be a favorite among kids and adults alike.
June 21, 2020
A reread. Counting. Rhyming. Supernatural creatures. Local (Pacific Northwest) publisher.
Little Banshee keeps loudly interrupting groups of friends. They get annoyed and tell her to move on. By the end she feels dejected, but some of the others seek her out to let her know they still care.
On the one hand, little kids will interrupt you with no respect for what you're doing, so I think this is universal. On the other hand I know women who felt like people were always telling them to be quiet when they were girls, so this may be triggering. (There are male-presenting, female-presenting, and unspecified creatures all asking her to be quiet.) My wife bought it as soon as she saw it because she likes Halloween-y stuff. I was iffy on this when I first read it. Even without the gender baggage, it's a book of a bunch of people telling a kid to shut up. But my girls like counting and kid-friendly supernatural creatures, so they keep pulling this off the shelf.
Little Banshee keeps loudly interrupting groups of friends. They get annoyed and tell her to move on. By the end she feels dejected, but some of the others seek her out to let her know they still care.
On the one hand, little kids will interrupt you with no respect for what you're doing, so I think this is universal. On the other hand I know women who felt like people were always telling them to be quiet when they were girls, so this may be triggering. (There are male-presenting, female-presenting, and unspecified creatures all asking her to be quiet.) My wife bought it as soon as she saw it because she likes Halloween-y stuff. I was iffy on this when I first read it. Even without the gender baggage, it's a book of a bunch of people telling a kid to shut up. But my girls like counting and kid-friendly supernatural creatures, so they keep pulling this off the shelf.
March 20, 2019
Hush Now, Banshee : A Not-So-Quiet Counting Book by Kyle Sullivan and Derek Sullivan BOARD BOOK Hazydell Press, 2017 $14.00 9780996578752
BUYING ADVISORY: PRE K - ESSENTIAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
A little Banshee wants to have fun with some friends, but everyone is doing quiet things and she is much too loud!
A nice thick board book with lots of pages, so many things to count! Plus, a terrific mindfulness lesson at the end. The whimsical illustrations are bold and fun. Highly recommended!
Lisa Librarian
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
BUYING ADVISORY: PRE K - ESSENTIAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
A little Banshee wants to have fun with some friends, but everyone is doing quiet things and she is much too loud!
A nice thick board book with lots of pages, so many things to count! Plus, a terrific mindfulness lesson at the end. The whimsical illustrations are bold and fun. Highly recommended!
Lisa Librarian
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
February 4, 2019
A nice thick board book with lots of pages, so many things to count! Plus, a terrific mindfulness lesson at the end. The whimsical illustrations are bold and fun. Highly recommended! For my full review, visit https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
July 26, 2020
I love this board book. It’s hefty in artwork and story! Really beautiful pages. The book itself is one that is superbly unique in that it’s not one you regularly see on the shelves.
Perfect for a spooky family! 👻
Perfect for a spooky family! 👻
April 21, 2018
Received an ARC courtesy of the publisher via Edelweiss
Cute board book about counting that can also be used to teach about quiet time vs. loud time.
Cute board book about counting that can also be used to teach about quiet time vs. loud time.
December 26, 2018
Hilarious and cute counting book with fun supernatural beasties.
February 7, 2019
A very cute and fun counting book that includes rhyming and even a nod to volume control, which many kids could probably have a lesson on. :) A definite thumbs up!
February 18, 2019
So cute! Goes hand in hand with Monster ABC. The art is more cute like a young banshee who just wants to find someone to play with!
March 1, 2019
A great book for little kids! It’s entertaining and humorous for adults too. The pictures are great as are the rhymes. I enjoy that it teaches counting as well as being quiet.
June 4, 2019
I think I like reading these as much as my son likes hearing them. I get pretty shouty with this one - not the best bed-time book.
July 6, 2019
Fun and different. The banshee noises made me jump. Artwork is very cute.
August 23, 2019
I can count to ten! (As long as a Banshee is nearby)
Read
December 15, 2019No idea how to rate children's book, but the illustrations were adorable. A cute little diversion ;)
December 29, 2019
I would have given it 5 stars if it had been bilingual in Irish. Considering dont eat me Chupacabra/No me comes Chupacabra was a bilingual book, this is a missed opportunity.
January 3, 2020
My baby girl LOVES this book! The story is so cute, and the illustrations are stunning!
June 7, 2020
Relatable main character, great art, would read to every child. A+++
August 18, 2021
Make Halloween Samhain again. Is this for St. Patrick's Day, or Halloween? I don't know. Yes.
After my little guy expressed interest in banshees (indirectly from Walt Disney's Darby O'Gill), I quested myself to find banshee picturebooks. This is the only one I liked. (I'm open to recommendations.)
The illustrations are fun -- cute creatures and a picturesque romp through Ireland for a bit of escapism. The hobgoblins, druids, fishermen, and ghosts are so adorable, I can forgive the leprechauns. (Nothing wrong with these particular leprechauns; I just don't like leprechauns.)
I'm torn between feeling a female is a bad choice for a character repeatedly told to quiet down, and appreciating the appropriateness of a banshee shrieking. As the mom of three loud boys, I feel the surrounding creatures' pain. It's nice to have something to show my little wailers that it's not just me who takes issue with high decibels.
Leprechauns aside, my only complaint is the banshee's American vocabulary. One does not simply say "howdy" to druids, or "hey hey" to fairfolk. I don't need her to say "top o' the morning" or "may the road rise up to meet ye," but "yo" is a bit hard to take from a banshee.
Nice way to introduce my kids to their Irish heritage on days when Ancestry.com's algorithm says they have some.
After my little guy expressed interest in banshees (indirectly from Walt Disney's Darby O'Gill), I quested myself to find banshee picturebooks. This is the only one I liked. (I'm open to recommendations.)
The illustrations are fun -- cute creatures and a picturesque romp through Ireland for a bit of escapism. The hobgoblins, druids, fishermen, and ghosts are so adorable, I can forgive the leprechauns. (Nothing wrong with these particular leprechauns; I just don't like leprechauns.)
I'm torn between feeling a female is a bad choice for a character repeatedly told to quiet down, and appreciating the appropriateness of a banshee shrieking. As the mom of three loud boys, I feel the surrounding creatures' pain. It's nice to have something to show my little wailers that it's not just me who takes issue with high decibels.
Leprechauns aside, my only complaint is the banshee's American vocabulary. One does not simply say "howdy" to druids, or "hey hey" to fairfolk. I don't need her to say "top o' the morning" or "may the road rise up to meet ye," but "yo" is a bit hard to take from a banshee.
Nice way to introduce my kids to their Irish heritage on days when Ancestry.com's algorithm says they have some.
June 28, 2023
A delightfully sweet counting book filled with Irish folklore. Banshee wanders through the forest, looking for someone to play with. But everyone is having quiet time. Can she learn how to enjoy quiet time with her friends?
I loved that despite her volume, her friends still want to be around her and are patient as she practices quiet time. Also, showcases a variety of times when being quiet is appropriate such as working, sleeping, meditating, and painting.
Adorable illustrations. Loved the designs of the various creatures such as hobgoblins, bog monsters, fairy warriors, and of course the banshee herself.
Physically, it's a nice chunky board book with thick pages that appear to hold up well.
A fun book that explores folklore, counting, and volume control. Great for reading aloud (especially loud).
I loved that despite her volume, her friends still want to be around her and are patient as she practices quiet time. Also, showcases a variety of times when being quiet is appropriate such as working, sleeping, meditating, and painting.
Adorable illustrations. Loved the designs of the various creatures such as hobgoblins, bog monsters, fairy warriors, and of course the banshee herself.
Physically, it's a nice chunky board book with thick pages that appear to hold up well.
A fun book that explores folklore, counting, and volume control. Great for reading aloud (especially loud).
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews