What Was That!

by Geda Bradley Mathews, Normand Chartier

Three skittish brothers try to comfort each other when they hear night noises in their house.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Animals, Family

24 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Ann]

This is one of my childhood favorites and I still love it!

Great for any kid who is afraid of all the sounds that seem to get amplified at night (not to worry! That eek, creak, squeak is just a mouse getting ready for bed!).
The explanations of the sounds are cute and clever, and there's a delightful treat at the end.

The illustrations are adorable, and the text is such fun to read aloud that even if you're just looking for something fun to read to your kids, this could be a winner.

[Sean Gibson]

I'd almost forgotten about this book until I pulled it out of a box recently to read to my little guy...and was reminded of how much I loved it, and how much fun it is to read aloud!

[Kristen Wilmer]

The suspenseful story about the spooky assortment of noises that are heard in the home of the bear family on one cold winter night, ranging from eeks, creaks, squeaks, raps, snaps, and cracks to crashes and bumps! The identity of all these spooky noises is revealed one by one, accompanied by a variety of great and very silly illustrations (buck-toothed mice being tucked into matchstick beds, a grinning spider with a spiky hairdo brushing his teeth, a wide-eyed green bug with droopy antennae fluffing his pillow, and so on...)...

[Matthew]

This was one book I remember reading when I was a child and I recently found a copy of it at a used bookstore and thought I'd read it again, having not remembered it very well. It's still a charming story about three frightened bears who hear noises at night while they're trying to get to sleep. Of course, there's a simple explanation to each sound, but it have a really cute twist at the end that will make you smile. My rating - 5/5

[Kaya]

I would give this book away, but it is my mom’s childhood book, so it will stay in the house.
Two reasons I did not enjoy it?
1. Mom kinda guilt trips at end
2. Dad yells at kids

I know it’s old, and a cute concept in its whole, but come on. It would have been so good if not for the ending.

[Aleisha Froude]

Cute story that helps children with sounds they might hear at night.

[Seth]

PB:21 What Was That!. What a funny, yet true story about bears, mice, spiders, and bugs trying to all go to sleep but they all keep hearing noises that are frightening them! It's one of the oldest children's picturebooks that is still relevant today and can relate to many children being scared during the wee hours of the night and hopping right into bed with their Mom and Dad. Great nighttime story!

[Pamela]

This is and will always be my favorite book from when I was a child, my mother would read it to me all the time and I still know a lot of the words by heart. I had a copy that I read to my boys but some how it got lost or misplaced so when I looked on Amazon and someone had a hardcover copy for .14 I grabbed it and it came today so I had to read it, like 10 times while I wiped away tears. Love this book so much because it has many memories attached to it.

[Jennifer]

This is a childhood favorite of mine! I wanted to add it to my library's collection, but unfortunately it's not in print anymore. It's a fantastic bedtime story about things that go bump in the night! :-)

[Abbie]

another childhood favorite for me!

[Adrienne Colbert]

Cute tale of brother bears sticking together during what they assume is a scary night.

[Becky]

This was so much fun to read to my kids!

[Bonnie]

Love this book.

[Robin]

Truly loved by my children and grandchildren. (out of print and selling online for hundreds of dollars - so glad I bought mine 35 years ago)

[Kim]

This one made Mini-Me giggle - and apparently is a long-time favourite of her dad's.

[Holly]

One of my childhood favorites!

[Liz Todd]

A childhood favorite. I can still hear my mom reading it to us.

[Vicki]

My favorite book from when I was a kid.

[Ellen]

such a fun read!

[Val]

Great to read aloud. Funny story of noises in the night.

[Kay]

A lovely story, but the illustrations were only OK.