A Children's Book for Introverts

Is it Okay for Children to Prefer Spending Time Alone?

This was a question I asked myself the other day while browsing the new children's books at the library. I came across a book titled "Only: the Bird Who Liked Being Alone," by Airlie Andersen. This book answered my question perfectly.

It is about a bird named Only, who is very quiet and doesn't like to be around other birds very much, especially when it's noisy outside. The other birds assume he wants to be alone and lonely, but this isn't the case. 

I relate to Only in that I don't like crowded or noisy places. I need to decompress after going out and socializing (this is also a symptom of my Sensory Processing Disorder). We also love to read and create art in a quiet environment (Only ends up revealing a special talent he has at the end!), sometimes by ourselves. But that doesn't mean we want to be isolated or antisocial. We still enjoy good company in a quiet and comfortable setting, whether it be indoors or outdoors.

Only realizes after another bird befriends him in his home that he can enjoy both quiet time and socializing with others. I learned this myself as I grew older, that you don't have to be social all the time or enjoy going to parties or large gatherings. Your true friends will love you just the way you are. It's all about finding your own balance, which is different for everyone. Not everyone is outgoing, which is perfectly okay. We're not all meant to be the same.

This is a great story that teaches children in a way that they can understand and relate to that it's okay to spend some time playing alone in a quiet setting. You don't have to enjoy being with a big group of people or in a noisy environment. As long as you're not isolating yourself and you have good friends to spend time with and support you, that's all that matters.

What do you all think? Let me know your thoughts on this in the comments below!

Happy reading!~