Hear That?

by Tama Janowitz

A young boy and his mother let their imaginations run wild as they attempt to guess what each click, knock, and rattle in their house could possibly be, in an amusing read-aloud story that is filled with funny pictures and sounds. 27,500 first printing.

Genres: Picture Books

40 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2001

About the author

Tama Janowitz is an American novelist and a short story writer. The 2005 September/October issue of Pages magazine listed her as one of the four "brat pack" authors, along with Bret Easton Ellis, Mark Lindquist and Jay McInerney.

Born in San Francisco, California to a psychiatrist father and literature professor mother who divorced when she was ten, Janowitz moved to the East Coast of the United States to attend Barnard College and the Columbia University School of the Arts and started writing about life in New York City, where she had settled down.

She socialized with Andy Warhol and became well-known in New York's literary and social circles. Her 1986 collection of short stories, Slaves of New York brought her wider fame. Slaves of New York was adapted into a 1989 film directed by James Ivory and starring Bernadette Peters. Janowitz wrote the screenplay and also appeared, playing Peters' friend.

Janowitz has published seven novels, one collection of stories and one work of non-fiction. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Tim Hunt, and their adopted daughter.

Reviews

[Steven Severance · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the pictures in this book. Lots of details and a good depiction of the chaos of objects that happens in middle class homes with kids.
I did not like the plot though. I was disapointed. I am a big fan of the imagination and creativity Janowitz shows in her book Slaves of New York (for grown-ups) so I don't understand why the text in this book seems so pedestrian. I expected a more inventive story.

[Hollison Sudduth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hear that? By Tama Janowitz is a super cute book about a mother and son hearing sounds in their house and trying to identify what they are coming from.

I would definitely use this book in my classroom! It’s a good way to introduce Onomatopoeia and to show what kind of noises animals make. It also shows how the child has a big imagination. Definitely a cute, fun book to use in the classroom!

[Carlie Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Genre: Fiction
Grade: Kindergarten- 2nd
Review: it’s a good book for onomatopoeia. There’s a lot of different noises that go along in this book.

[Rebecca Caufman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect book for anyone teaching about onomatopoeias! Does get a bit silly but you keep reading to discover who is making the sound.

[Chad VanDosen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was average. Its repetition got a little old after a while and I even think it would for smaller kids. What does help the book though is all the different sounds and crazy things that the boy thinks are making the sounds. Lower elementary kids would like this story so I would have this in my classroom most likely.

[Alana Graham · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this would be an interesting book on onamonapias, but it was a little boring and redundant. I would recommend finding a more interesting book.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

4/5s picked this to read. I think it was too young (maybe K-1) but they all enjoyed it.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picture Book. A fun little story about the noises Daddy makes as he comes home from work.