Review

The Very Noisy House

by Julie Rhodes and Korky Paul, Frances Lincoln, hardback, 11.99

In this rickety old house, the noise of the old lady's walking stick (Clomp! Clomp! Clomp!) alerts the dog upstairs (Woof! Woof! Woof!), which alarms the cat in the room above (Meow! Meow! Meow!), which frightens the baby on the top floor (Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!). And so noise cascades up through every floor until even the birds on the roof join in the cacophony, which just gets louder and louder. What will it take to make them all calm down - floor by floor?

This book is a winner. It's ideal for reading aloud and children will love the mounting tension, the noise - reflected perfectly in the typography and illustrations - and the thrill of joining in (loudly).