What's That Noise? - Hardcover

Michelle Edwards and Phyllis Root live on opposite sides of the Mississippi River in Minnesota. Phyllis Root has written many children’s books on her own (including WHAT BABY WANTS, RATTLETRAP CAR, and KISS THE COW!), and Michelle Edwards has written and illustrated many children’s books on her own. WHAT'S THAT NOISE? is the first book they have written together. When the sun sets in Minneapolis, Phyllis Root grabs her teddy bear. Across the river in St. Paul, Michelle Edwards plugs in her night-light. And when they hear WHOOSH AROO HOO outside their windows, they both sing the night noises away.

Paul Meisel has illustrated numerous books for children, including two books by David Elliott, THE COOL CRAZY CRICKETS and THE COOL CRAZY CRICKETS TO THE RESCUE!

This cheery tale proves that there's safety in numbers, at least in the dead of night. With the lights out, a chilly violet glow falls over the bedroom of Alex and his younger brother, Ben and suddenly it feels as if the boys are hosting a veritable convention of spooky noises ("aroo aroo aroo") and spectral shadows (a branch outside casts a shape that's a dead ringer for a boy-eating dragon). Ben wants Alex to come over to his bed and sing a silly song to buck up their spirits. But as Edwards (Chicken Man) and Root (What Baby Wants) observe, who knows what kind of "foot-grabbing, toe-biting something that went whoosh aroo hoo" might grab Alex as he makes the long, cold trek across the room? Working in watercolor and ink, Meisel (Talk to Your Cat) uses every angle of his single, almost monochromatic setting to make the boys' anxieties palpable. He also takes comic advantage of the book's horizontal format, not only exaggerating the space between the beds, but also breaking down Alex's journey to Ben's bed into three separate drawings, so that the trip is simultaneously a nail-biter and a rib-tickler. The final picture, which contrasts the vastness of the dark room with the two boys happily snuggled together in Alex's narrow twin bed, is a comforting tribute to Ben's courage and brotherly ties that bind. Ages 4-7.
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