Product Description

It's tough being the middle mouse. No one's paying any attention to Nora, so she decides to do something her family can't ignore: make noise. Nora slams windows, bangs doors, and upsets furniture, to no avail. It's not until she crashes out the door--and the house goes strangely silent--that her family realizes: a noisy Nora is much better than no Nora at all.

"A wonderful story." --Booklist

Awards:
( An ALA Notable Book
( A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Product Details

• Published on: 1973-01-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 40 pages

Amazon.com Review
Rosemary Wells' tales of animals with very human problems make her a favorite from the board-book years on. Now one old Wells friend, Nora, that noisy mouse, returns with all her middle-child problems still on display. What's a mouse to do when little brother and big sister take up all mom and dad's time? Yup. Plenty of noise. Look at these new pictures and you can almost hear the racket. With all that clatter, it might be better to read this one before dinner, not before bed!

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1. All new illustrations infuse this much-loved picture book (Dial, 1973) with energy. Vibrant colors and a larger format make the characters seem to jump out at readers. The original book's sweet, subdued pen-and-ink drawings were a mere appetizer when compared to the feast of colors here, all created from a combination of watercolor, India ink, gouache, pencil, and acrylics. Keeping each scene in a nearly framed vignette, Wells defines and details her illustrations even more than before. The eye-catching drawings and altered word groupings make the story flow better; words and pictures enhance one another to achieve the smooth narrative so necessary for storytelling. Some other differences between new and old: father has given up his pipe; kitchen knives aren't left on the table; and some architectural changes have placed the stair banister on the correct side so Nora won't topple off the side while flying her brother's kite. Nora, the delightful protagonist of the story, is the same; her dilemma hasn't changed one iota. This middle child who continually makes noise to get her parents' attention is really noticed when the silence from her absence saddens her family and starts them hunting for her. This is a Nora for the '90s!?Susan Garland, Maynard Public Library, MA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 3^-6. Nora mouse is tired of having her sibs get all the attention. But her attempts to gain some spotlight for herself are destined to failure--until she realizes that stopping her noisy mischief will get her family to take notice. Published originally in 1973 in a small format, with pen-and-ink illustrations brightened by splashes of color, this funny, endearing story is now available in an enlarged format with new, full-color art. Although the new artwork preserves both the spirit and the settings of the original pictures (and adds many wonderful details), it greatly alters the balance of the picture book. In the older version, the lively, rhythmic text predominated; here, it's the colorful pictures that speak loudest. A wonderful story, no matter which version you have on your shelves. Stephanie Zvirin

Customer Reviews

Hilarious!
This was one of my favorite books growing up. The rhymes are particularly appealing for young readers. I can still recite certain lines: "'I am leaving!' shouted Nora, 'And I am never coming back!' But no one heard anything except a tra la la from Jack." Wonderful stuff. And contrary to what the dad-to-be wrote, the message of this book is heartwarming. You don't have to be a middle child to appreciate Nora's predicament.

Responding to the new father
This book was one of my favorites as a child. For years, at least one aquaintance would get me this book for my birthday.

The message I remember from it was not that acting out will get you attention. Nora's parents yelled at her for the noise she made.

The message is that your parents love you no matter what, and are willing to forgive bad temper because of that love.

This is a good book for children. The message is lovely, and told in an amusing way.

I couldn't wait to buy this!
This was my favorite book as a small child, and I couldn't wait to buy it for my own children. The rhymes make it fun to read, and children really identify with Nora's predicament. The ending is perfect, too.