QUIET
By Tara Ryazansky Photos by Kate Moriashcha
K
eeping small children entertained for any length of time can be a challenge. Svetlana Kizilova, the founder of Sketch Design Quiet Books, has a solution that doesn’t require WiFi. Quiet books aren’t your typical board book. “It’s not a book that you read. It’s like a book and interactive toy that a child can play with,” Kizilova says. “Quiet books aren’t just designed for play, they help kids learn, explore different textures and develop fine motor skills by doing some easy tasks. The child can also get a lot of cool practical skills like brushing teeth.”
Touch and Learn
Kizilova flips to a page that shows a felt face with
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Svetlana and Alex (son)
a mouth that opens to reveal its teeth. The child can use a small toothbrush to clean the character’s teeth. Another one of her books is sort of like a portable dollhouse. Each page has a different room where a removable doll can do activities like taking a bath or cooking in a kitchen. She has a similar version with a dog instead of a doll. “For little kids, it’s important because they want to touch everything and see how it works. With these books, they can touch and they can learn. They can learn colors, learn counting, and shapes, and a lot of different stuff,” she says, adding that she has infant-
safe options that are great for babies and more advanced options for older children. “When I had my child I was looking for some good toys and they were difficult to find. I don’t like little children looking at iPhones, iPads or playing with electronics. I think it’s not too healthy,” Kizilova explains. “I was looking for something different and I found these books on Etsy. You can find some quiet books on Amazon, but they are pretty bad quality.” Kizilova says that these books are popular in Eastern Europe where she’s from. Kizilova moved here from Ukraine in 2015.
“I thought, why not make one?” Kizilova has a sewing and design background because she worked in coat making in Ukraine. She created a quiet book for her son and he loved it.
Help From My Friends “At the playground, many women started to ask, ‘What is it? Where did you get it?’ I started to accept orders and make books for my friends and some people from the playground. Then, I posted it on Facebook and I got so many comments and so many women reached out asking me to make a book for them.” Sketch Design Quiet Books grew into an online shop. “When I started it was just me, but now I have a small team of some friends who are helping me and we’re hoping to grow.”
