The Noisy Book

By Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard

This early collaboration between Margaret Wise Brown and illustrator Leonard Weisgard features an interactive narrative that encourages the reader to respond to questions as a dog named Muffin who cannot see tries to guess what objects might be creating all of the sounds he hears. The decision to set the book in the city, amongst noisy automobiles, trains, dogs, and people, reflects The Bank Street belief that stories should reflect not fantastical settings, but the neighborhoods of 20th century
children. Expressive and repetitive words like “flippity flap” and “patter patter patter” inject a language play into the narrative. By inviting children to mimic these playful sounds themselves, The Noisy Book accomplishes another essential Bank Street goal: to make children themselves a central part of the narrative.