Items related to A Sound Like Someone Trying Not to Make a Sound

A Sound Like Someone Trying Not to Make a Sound - Hardcover

Irving, John

  • 4.01 out of 5 stars
    866 ratings by Goodreads
 
9780385746809: A Sound Like Someone Trying Not to Make a Sound
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 0385746806 ISBN 13: 9780385746809
Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 2004

Synopsis

WHEN A YOUNG BOY wakes up in the middle of the night, an unfamiliar sound conjures frightening images in his mind.

Children everywhere can now enjoy John Irving’s story about nighttime uncertainties, A Sound Like Someone Trying Not to Make a Sound. Originally found within Irving’s ninth novel, A Widow for One Year, this atmospheric tale has been brought to life by Tatjana Hauptmann’s beautifully muted illustrations.

Includes an introduction by the author.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author

John Irving is the author of numerous novels for adults, including A Widow for One Year, The Cider House Rules, A Prayer for Owen Meany, and The World According to Garp. He lives in Vermont and Toronto.

Tatjana Hauptmann has illustrated many children’s picture books in Europe. She lives in Zurich, Switzerland.

From the Inside Flap

WHEN A YOUNG BOY wakes up in the middle of the night, an unfamiliar sound conjures frightening images in his mind.

Children everywhere can now enjoy John Irving's story about nighttime uncertainties, A Sound Like Someone Trying Not to Make a Sound. Originally found within Irving's ninth novel, A Widow for One Year, this atmospheric tale has been brought to life by Tatjana Hauptmann's beautifully muted illustrations.

Includes an introduction by the author.

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 2–Tom wakes up frightened after hearing a noise in the middle of the night and navigates the dark house to find his father. The boy's remarkably descriptive imagination envisions "a monster with no arms and no legs" that "slides on its fur"–and astute viewers will see occasional bulges in the walls and fluttering clothing that complement this description. When his father comes to his room, he has a simple explanation for the noise: there is a mouse in the wall. This answer soothes Tom, but disturbs his younger brother who lies awake imagining his own monster. Dark, atmospheric illustrations capture the unease a child may feel wandering around a sleeping house, as well as the shadows that transform everyday objects into scarier sights. However, the story the artwork tells seems to be a different one from that of the text, and literal-minded youngsters may not make the leap. The father is present throughout most of the narrative, but never appears in the pictures. The text itself is a bit too complex for the intended audience, and the emphasis on frightening details detracts from the comfort of the father's simple explanation. Originally published as a children's story within the author's adult novel, A Widow for One Year (Random, 1998), this offering doesn't stand on its own.–Tana Elias, Meadowridge Branch Library, Madison, WI
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"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Publisher
Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Publication date
2004
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0385746806
ISBN 13 
9780385746809
Binding
Hardcover
Edition number
1
Number of pages
40
Rating
  • 4.01 out of 5 stars
    866 ratings by Goodreads