Zola and the Quiet Club
The new boy hasn't said a word. That doesn't mean he isn't talking.
Zola notices feelings the rest never see: who's lonely, who's left out, the smile someone wears when they're trying not to cry. Then a new boy arrives. His name is Milo, and that's all anyone gets.
The other kids decide he's shy, or stuck-up, or strange. But Zola sees something else — his eyes are wide-busy. He's noticing too. And when tiny folded paper birds start appearing on desks, Zola works out who's leaving them — and does the kindest possible thing with what she knows. She doesn't announce it. She just sits down beside him and makes something too.
This one's for the child who…
- freezes when everyone looks at them
- gets “just say hi!” and finds it makes things worse
- makes friends slowly and quietly while the world says be louder
Ages 3–7 · 33 pages · full colour
Soft watercolour illustrations, a warm rhyming story, and one repeatable coping tool — plus five “Draw It Yourself” activity pages in the paperback.
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