The Inactivity Book

The Inactivity Book - Hardcover

$18.99
$18.99
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The Inactivity Book
  • The Inactivity Book
The Inactivity Book - Hardcover

The Inactivity Book - Hardcover

by Kyo Maclear
$18.99
$18.99

Book Overview

by Kyo Maclear (Author), Tracy Subisak (Illustrator)

From the author of the Caldecott Honor-winning NOODLES ON A BICYCLE comes a poetic celebration of doing... not much at all.

Have you ever felt like becoming a perch for passing birds? Or curling into the corneriest corner you can find? Maybe you've imagined yourself as a sleepy monument or even a sea sponge at the bottom of the ocean. If you have, then you're ready to discover the magic of doing nothing at all.

Told in Kyo Maclear's signature lyrical voice, and with Tracy Subisak's whimsical illustrations, here is a funny ode to the lost art of loafing. In a world that often celebrates productivity, this picture book reminds us of the quiet, necessary joy of simply being. It's perfect for idlers of all ages--because who doesn't need a little inactivity now and then?

Author Biography

Kyo Maclear's children's books have been translated into eighteen languages, published in over twenty-five countries and nominated for numerous awards, including the Governor General's Literary Award, the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. Her recent children's books have received the Caldecott Medal Honor and the Charlotte Zolotow Honor (Noodles on a Bicycle, 2025), and the NYT Best Illustrated Award (There's a Ghost in the Garden, 2024). She was the recipient of the 2023 Vicky Metcalf Award for Young People for her body of work. In addition to writing for children, Kyo is also a novelist and widely published essayist. She is on faculty with the University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA.

Tracy Subisak is the author and illustrator of Sorry, Snail and award-winning Jenny Mei Is Sad, and the illustrator of several picture books including Amah Faraway and This Book Is Not For You!. Her books have been featured in publications such as the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. Subisak has a background in design and is an experienced yoga teacher. She is of Polish and Taiwanese heritage and a believer that stories connect us all in some way.
Number of Pages: 48
Dimensions: 0.5 x 11.2 x 9.3 IN
Publication Date: September 22, 2026
ISBN9780593181980
Author Kyo Maclear
PublisherRandom House Studio
GenreChildren
FormatHardcover
PublishedSeptember 2026
LanguageENG- English
Pages48
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceKids
Print SizeStandard Print

Related Subjects

Juvenile Fiction Kids

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More by Kyo Maclear

There's a Ghost in the Garden

There's a Ghost in the Garden - Hardcover

There's a Ghost in the Garden - Hardcover

By Kyo Maclear

About Kyo Maclear

KYO MACLEAR is the author of many books for children and adults. Her writing has been translated into eighteen languages and published in over twenty-five countries, and has garnered numerous accolades, including a Governor General's Literary Award and the Vicky Metcalf Award for her body of work for young people. Her picture books include Noodles on a Bicycle, which was named a Caldecott and Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book, and, alongside illustrator Julie Morstad, It Began With a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Nonfiction Honor Book; Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli; and Julia, Child, a Governor General's Literary Award finalist. Kyo lives in Toronto, Ontario.

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