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The Sound of a Smile

Louise Greig, Author

David Litchfield, Illustrator

Imprint: Orchard Books

Publication date: July 16, 2026

Category: Picture storybooks

ISBN: 9781408365489

Imprint: Orchard Books

Publication date: March 4, 2027

Category: Picture storybooks

ISBN: 9781408365502

A stunning illustrated children’s book exploring deafness, friendship and the universal ways in which we all communicate.

One girl can’t hear the noisy world around her. In her ears, those sounds are sleeping. But she has found sounds that are hiding . . .

Between the notes of a song.
Between the beats of a wing.
Between those sounds are my sounds.
And I listen.

What if someone in the noisy world listened to the beauty and magic of the silent things, too? Perhaps they might discover the sound of a smile – or even better, the sound of a friend.

Through this beautiful and heartwarming story, author and poet Louise Grieg has drawn from her own experience to portray a world where silence sings. Brought to life with stunning illustrations from David Litchfield (The Bear and the Piano), this is a book that encourages us all to put language barriers aside and come together in friendship.

Reviews

A girl who cannot hear the noisy world discovers intricate sounds hidden between a song's notes, a wing's beats and the quiet spaces other people miss. For 3+ year olds, this mesmerising and moving picture book explores deafness, friendship and communication through Louise Greig's lyrical text and David Litchfield's warm, expressive illustrations. Highly recommended.

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David Litchfield

David Litchfield first started to draw when he was very young, creating comics for his older brother and sister. Since then his work has appeared in magazines, newspapers, books and on T-shirts. David’s first picture book The Bear and the Piano won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. He lives in Bedfordshire.