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Noisy Night
It's a noisy night in this city building! The residents of each floor can hear their neighbors above them, and are wondering what's going on above their heads. Climb floor by floor and page by page to find out whose singing, dancing, cheering, and cooing are keeping a grumpy old man awake.
With innovative split-level spreads that offer the feeling of climbing an apartment building floor by floor, this clever and colorful collaboration between New York Times bestselling author Mac Barnett and gifted illustrator Brian Biggs offers an irresistible investigation of one noisy night.
With innovative split-level spreads that offer the feeling of climbing an apartment building floor by floor, this clever and colorful collaboration between New York Times bestselling author Mac Barnett and gifted illustrator Brian Biggs offers an irresistible investigation of one noisy night.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published March 7, 2017
7 people are currently reading
733 people want to read
About the author
Mac Barnett
92 books1,332 followersBorn to non-farmers in a California farming community, Mac Barnett now lives near San Francisco. He's on the board of directors of 826LA, a nonprofit writing center for students in Los Angeles, and he founded the Echo Park Time Travel Mart, a convenience store for time travelers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 265 reviews
June 12, 2020
This is a beginning book and honestly I don't think there was much here. I read a lot of young readers to my kids and I was bored with this one.
A kid is trying to go to sleep in his apartment building and he wonders what the noise above him is and each floor does the same thing, all the way up to the grumpy old man.
I have enjoyed Mac Bennett's stuff before, but I can't say this impressed me. It's too simple for the kids so I didn't read it to them.
A kid is trying to go to sleep in his apartment building and he wonders what the noise above him is and each floor does the same thing, all the way up to the grumpy old man.
I have enjoyed Mac Bennett's stuff before, but I can't say this impressed me. It's too simple for the kids so I didn't read it to them.
January 20, 2020
"What is going on above my head?" seems to be the words on everyone's lips in this busy apartment building. Kids might have fun predicting what's making each noise, but I found it rather . . . predictable.
Featuring colorful, jazzy artwork by Brian Biggs.
Featuring colorful, jazzy artwork by Brian Biggs.
March 29, 2017
This fun picture book imagines the night life in a tall apartment building by going floor by floor - from the first floor where a little boy is trying to sleep to the top floor where an old man is trying to sleep. On the floors in between there are dancers, cheerleaders, sheep, and many other noisemakers. I like how each page is split between two floors, with one person wondering what's making the noise above his or her head and a sneak peek at the culprit. As I read each page, it was fun to look back at the front cover to see in the window of that floor's resident(s). As I was reading it, it took me back to my college days, when my dorm building was full of all kinds of noises above my head on any given night. This would definitely be fun to share with young children.
October 21, 2020
My littles LOVED this one!!!
March 2, 2019
The residents of one very tall apartment building make quite a bit of noise in this entertaining bedtime book from author Mac Barnett and illustrator Brian Biggs. In the cumulative narrative, each resident wonders what is going on above his head, as various noises - the 'lalala' of an opera singer, the "rahrahrah" of cheerleaders - intrude upon their evening at home. Eventually, an old man demands quiet, and the residents below him simmer down...
As anyone who's ever lived in close proximity to other people knows, sometimes one's neighbors can be a source of great frustration at night. In Noisy Night, Barnett and Biggs depict the vibrancy of life in an apartment building, while also capturing how the incessant activity of so many people can prove distracting, or even distressing for those living above or below them. Younger children will appreciate the rhyming sound-words that Barnett uses in describing the various noisy activities of the apartment building residents, while also enjoying the colorful, cartoon-style illustrations that Biggs has created to accompany the text. Recommended to anyone looking for a more madcap bedtime book, one that features lots of fun activity, before returning to the idea of quiet.
As anyone who's ever lived in close proximity to other people knows, sometimes one's neighbors can be a source of great frustration at night. In Noisy Night, Barnett and Biggs depict the vibrancy of life in an apartment building, while also capturing how the incessant activity of so many people can prove distracting, or even distressing for those living above or below them. Younger children will appreciate the rhyming sound-words that Barnett uses in describing the various noisy activities of the apartment building residents, while also enjoying the colorful, cartoon-style illustrations that Biggs has created to accompany the text. Recommended to anyone looking for a more madcap bedtime book, one that features lots of fun activity, before returning to the idea of quiet.
January 10, 2018
Kids will love reading this bedtime picture book: as each page is turned, a new noisemaker makes their appearance. Discovering each one, from singers to dancers to animal friends, and imitating their noises will lend a special anticipation to this book about the various tenants in a high rise apartment building. The illustrations are big, bright, and exuberant. We guarantee this one will be read again and again.
May 1, 2018
5* art
5* story/poem
Brilliant. The sounds we hear through the floors of the apartment - what a great idea. This is a perfect read-aloud book if you like to do accents and animal sounds. We had fun just fooling around with the sounds.
5* story/poem
Brilliant. The sounds we hear through the floors of the apartment - what a great idea. This is a perfect read-aloud book if you like to do accents and animal sounds. We had fun just fooling around with the sounds.
April 7, 2017
Great read aloud with a funny ending.
May 19, 2018
Fun book about what's making noise above...kids can guess what's on the next page.
March 18, 2017
I love a good, boisterous book for reading aloud and Noisy Night, from award-winners Mac Barnett and Brian Biggs, certainly delivers on multiple fronts. A rambunctious story centred around figuring out the various- and unexpected!- noises going on in an apartment building, readers are treated to one wacky surprise after another.
Noisy Night opens with a quiet scene of a young boy fast asleep in his bed. The lights are off, the scene is washed in blues and grays and then...suddenly, the lights are on and something or someone has woken up the young boy! As the young boy asks what is making the 'la la la' noise above his bed in the apartment above, readers are treated to a reveal on the next page, followed by the next apartment resident asking what is going on above their own head. Noisy Night follows a straightforward pattern, allowing readers to easily get into the rhythm of the ask and answer. If performed as a read aloud, kids might really get a kick out of trying to guess who or what could be making noises- especially as the reveals get a little bit kooky as we get higher and higher up the apartment!
Overall, Barnett and Biggs have crafted a genuinely vibrant, livelier than lively story here. As with Lane Smith's A Perfect Day, the story format and plot in Noisy Night is arguably simple and accessible. And as with A Perfect Day, author and illustrator give that something extra to the story to make it memorable. In Noisy Night, it is the particular details of Barnett's flare for comedic language and approach to sounds, in combination with Biggs' unmistakable vivid art that gives this story that extra pizzazz to make it shine. I have already had the pleasure of reading this story aloud to my daughter multiple times and she loves the artwork and making the variety of funny noises along with me! Mark Noisy Night as a must-read picture book for a funny (and booming!) storytime or read aloud.
I received a copy of this titles courtesy of Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and comments are my own.
April 23, 2017
It’s quite a loud evening in the apartment building. People on each floor can hear what’s happening on the floor above them. The person on each floor hears a strange noise, wonders what it is and the illustrations give a hint as well. Each of the noises rhymes with the others, building the feeling the illustrations give of climbing higher and higher up the stories of the structure. There is a great energy about the book
There is a great energy about the book with the climbing of the heights. It’s added to by the rhymes and rhythms of the book, a strong structure for the story and one that creates a book that grows and builds. The ending is perfection, the timing throughout just right and the humor bold and delightful.
The illustrations have a wild zaniness that works perfectly with the story. There’s a subtle vintage feel to them in the patterns used in the setting but the bold colors are clearly modern and add to the energy of the tale.
This book begs to be shared aloud and children will guess what is making the next noise. Appropriate for ages 2-4.
There is a great energy about the book with the climbing of the heights. It’s added to by the rhymes and rhythms of the book, a strong structure for the story and one that creates a book that grows and builds. The ending is perfection, the timing throughout just right and the humor bold and delightful.
The illustrations have a wild zaniness that works perfectly with the story. There’s a subtle vintage feel to them in the patterns used in the setting but the bold colors are clearly modern and add to the energy of the tale.
This book begs to be shared aloud and children will guess what is making the next noise. Appropriate for ages 2-4.
December 20, 2018
This book was a fun look at night-time and just what your neighbors might be doing in their spare time. Narrated with a fun rhythm and illustrated with vibrant colors, Noisy Night is a great book to wind down with! It's great for younger audiences, and perfect for the child who loves color and repetitive sounds.
Review cross-listed here!
Review cross-listed here!
July 25, 2017
From an adult perspective, the book was okay. It wasn't particularly engaging. However, for a young one, being read to, I think it's a very nice book. Each page encourages a guess for what might be happening next. The illustrations are bold and not so detailed as to lose the interest of a child.
April 25, 2017
Heard Mac speak and was given a copy of this book which I adored the first time I read it. Took it home to my 1 1/2 year old granddaughter whom insisted I read it about 9 times that first day. She loves it and loves making all the sounds the characters in the books make.
October 27, 2017
Cute story. While little guys would enjoy it, I'd like to also read this to older students to see if they had the background knowledge/context clues in their repertoire to guess what was making the noise in the next level.
February 2, 2017
Mac Barnett's first picture book for super-littles. Lots of onomatopoeia and suspenseful pageturns. I like Brian Biggs's bold, bright art, too.
June 25, 2017
Bookaday #24. Great reminder to not live in a busy apartment building! Good for predicting - love to see the cowboys.
April 7, 2020
Read on IG by the author 4/6
July 1, 2017
A bit predictable and boring. Just not up my alley.
August 15, 2017
Boy can I relate! Reminded of that lease I signed when I was sandwiched between a gamer and a musician. There was rarely a quiet night that year.
February 1, 2018
Very cool predictive/interactive book. Visual cues help kids guess the next level.
February 19, 2020
In this bedtime book, children are invited to guess what will be on the following page using both picture clues and onomatopoeia sound clues. It's a fun quick read, good for preschoolers and elementary students. Kids enjoyed it.
September 20, 2021
Reminiscent of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, but for a slightly older child. The question response blends rhyming with a quirky and diverse cast of characters.
November 14, 2017
This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!
Hello, everyone! Our book today is Noisy Night, written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Brian Biggs, a fun story of a noisy apartment building and the cast of characters who live there.
A little boy lays awake on his bed on the ground floor of a tall apartment building. He’s being kept awake by the sounds of “LALALA!” from the room above. Turns out his upstairs neighbor is an opera singer… who is in turn being kept awake by the sounds of a baby cooing “mamama!” in the apartment above his! And up and up it goes, with each increasingly boisterous neighbor being kept awake by the sounds of the resident above. But there’s a tired, cranky old man at the very top, and he’s having none of it. “GO TO SLEEP!” he shouts, and at last, the residents of this cacophonous building settle in for some peace and quiet.
This was a really enjoyable book that was made for reading aloud. Between the call-and-response rhythm of the text and the rhyming “aw” sounds printed in bold, cartoon lettering, it’s a perfect story to read more than once so children can anticipate who or what is making the sounds in question. The illustrations are fun and energetic, each one growing more so as the story climbs the floors of the noisy tower. The length was just right, and JJ loved it. We recommend it, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved!
Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!
April 29, 2017
Although I wasn't as charmed by this picture book as I have been by some of the author's earlier offerings--perhaps because I cannot imagine sheep living in an apartment--I still enjoyed it. Perhaps my enjoyment, like that of others, stems from having lived in neighborhoods or buildings with very noisy residents. In this case, there are ten floors in an apartment building, and each one of them seems to have its own sounds to split the quietness of the night. A young boy on the first floor is awakened from his sleep by the sounds of an opera singer. In turn, his concentration is broken by the sounds that come from up above. Things get increasingly rowdier until a couple's energetic dancing disturbs an elderly man who is trying to sleep. When he yells at the couple to quiet things down, finally everything halts, and he can slumber on in peace. The framed photograph of the man's cat on his dresser attests to what matters to him. Readers will enjoy the fact that the story begins and ends on the end papers as the illustrations play with lightness and darkness. It's fun to examine the cover to identify exactly where those noisemakers on each page are living. Young readers are sure to enjoy this one completely, especially thanks to all those facial expressions of the characters. Who knows? This picture book might encourage others to be a little bit more mindful of the needs of those around them to get a restful night's sleep, even on the weekend.
September 29, 2017
First sentence: What is going La La La above my head? A man is singing opera above my head. What is going ma ma ma above my head? A baby is cooing above my head. What is going baa baa baa above my head? A sheep is speaking above my head.
Premise/plot: There is a LOT going on in this noisy apartment complex. Will any of the residents ever settle down, get quiet, and go to bed?!
My thoughts: I loved this one. (I wasn't sure at first that I would. It took reading it a second time to know for sure.) I liked the pattern of this one. I liked the repetition. I think there's something very satisfying about the structure. I think children could definitely--with a little help and encouragement--be inspired to write their own stories using this structure as inspiration. I really liked getting a sneak peek at what was making the floor above so noisy. The art reminded me of School House Rock. I'm not sure why. It just did. That isn't a bad thing. It just made me want to sing Interjections.
Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10
Premise/plot: There is a LOT going on in this noisy apartment complex. Will any of the residents ever settle down, get quiet, and go to bed?!
My thoughts: I loved this one. (I wasn't sure at first that I would. It took reading it a second time to know for sure.) I liked the pattern of this one. I liked the repetition. I think there's something very satisfying about the structure. I think children could definitely--with a little help and encouragement--be inspired to write their own stories using this structure as inspiration. I really liked getting a sneak peek at what was making the floor above so noisy. The art reminded me of School House Rock. I'm not sure why. It just did. That isn't a bad thing. It just made me want to sing Interjections.
Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10
September 23, 2017
Barnett, Mac. Noisy Night, PICTURE BOOK. Roaring Book Press, 2017. $16.99.
We go up and up and up a high rise apartment building as we hear all the sounds being made above one little boy’s head. First he hears a la-la-la and we see an opera singer singing loudly. Later, it’s some cowboys laughing haw-haw-haw. At the very end it’s an old man demanding for quiet so that he can go to sleep.
I love this. The progression from floor to floor, with rhyming words for each sound that is made, are really outstanding. It flows together well and the noise-makers are unique and interesting. It also works well going from youth to the elderly man at the end.
PRE-K, EL (K-3)- ESSENTIAL. Reviewed by Shay, School Librarian
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...
We go up and up and up a high rise apartment building as we hear all the sounds being made above one little boy’s head. First he hears a la-la-la and we see an opera singer singing loudly. Later, it’s some cowboys laughing haw-haw-haw. At the very end it’s an old man demanding for quiet so that he can go to sleep.
I love this. The progression from floor to floor, with rhyming words for each sound that is made, are really outstanding. It flows together well and the noise-makers are unique and interesting. It also works well going from youth to the elderly man at the end.
PRE-K, EL (K-3)- ESSENTIAL. Reviewed by Shay, School Librarian
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...
June 28, 2018
This book is excellent is so many ways - rhyming, spelling, inclusivity. Yeah, I said it. There are multiple skin tones shown in the book, without reference to them (too often the book has to be about inclusivity to be inclusive). Even the “white” people have differing shades and I think that’s important for kids to see.
I found the rhyming scheme to be extremely clever in that it teaches how different spellings can sound the same. Important to learn at an early age to become good spellers.
I was more impressed with this book than I thought I’d be. It would be fun to see if the child reading the book (or with whom you’re reading the book) could guess what was happening on the floor above.
Highly recommended and going on the list for the grandkids!
I found the rhyming scheme to be extremely clever in that it teaches how different spellings can sound the same. Important to learn at an early age to become good spellers.
I was more impressed with this book than I thought I’d be. It would be fun to see if the child reading the book (or with whom you’re reading the book) could guess what was happening on the floor above.
Highly recommended and going on the list for the grandkids!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 19, 2017
All the lights are off, and a little boy is ready to go to sleep-- until he hears something above his head! Who is it?
Follow the story from floor to floor and guess who is making that sound above you! Will this noisy night ever be quiet enough to sleep?
The rhythmic, rhyming text repeats its structure on each page and each floor of the building. Illustrator Brian Biggs's bold, colorful pictures help the increasingly silly story along up the building. The new reveal on every page makes a great read-aloud for story time. Readers may want to take a minute to look at the tall building on the cover of the book, especially if children may not be familiar with high-rise living.
Follow the story from floor to floor and guess who is making that sound above you! Will this noisy night ever be quiet enough to sleep?
The rhythmic, rhyming text repeats its structure on each page and each floor of the building. Illustrator Brian Biggs's bold, colorful pictures help the increasingly silly story along up the building. The new reveal on every page makes a great read-aloud for story time. Readers may want to take a minute to look at the tall building on the cover of the book, especially if children may not be familiar with high-rise living.
July 27, 2017
What sounds keep YOU awake at night? It could be anything from La La La to Blah Blah Blah!
The readers gets to see all the noise makers in succession, and can compare each page to the windows in the entire building shown on the front cover.
I'd like to try this as a read aloud with a group, and as a bedtime story.
I just realized that the ones who want to sleep are a child and an old grumpy man. Other than a baby most of the evening revelers are young people. Am I the only one who noticed this or am I just getting old and grumpy?
The readers gets to see all the noise makers in succession, and can compare each page to the windows in the entire building shown on the front cover.
I'd like to try this as a read aloud with a group, and as a bedtime story.
I just realized that the ones who want to sleep are a child and an old grumpy man. Other than a baby most of the evening revelers are young people. Am I the only one who noticed this or am I just getting old and grumpy?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 265 reviews