What do you think?
Rate this book
Noisy Nora
It's tough being the middle mouse. No one's paying any attention to Nora, so she decides to do something her family can't make noise. Nora slams windows, bangs doors, and upsets furniture, to no avail. It's not until she crashes out the door--and the house goes strangely silent--that her family a noisy Nora is much better than no Nora at all."A wonderful story." -- Booklist
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
12 people are currently reading
525 people want to read
About the author
Rosemary Wells
455 books381 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Rosemary Wells is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. She often uses animal characters to address real human issues. Some of her most well-known characters are Max & Ruby and Timothy from Timothy Goes To School (both were later adapted into Canadian-animated preschool television series, the former’s airing on Nickelodeon (part of the Nick Jr. block) and the latter’s as part of PBS Kids on PBS).
Rosemary Wells is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. She often uses animal characters to address real human issues. Some of her most well-known characters are Max & Ruby and Timothy from Timothy Goes To School (both were later adapted into Canadian-animated preschool television series, the former’s airing on Nickelodeon (part of the Nick Jr. block) and the latter’s as part of PBS Kids on PBS).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 206 reviews
February 10, 2015
First of all, I absolutely did not like the word "dumb" as part of this story. We do not speak this way in our household. I was aghast when I came upon the word.
This book was about a middle child who wanted a little bit of attention. She exhibited acts that could easily be described in association with a temper tantrum. Unfortunately, the parents of this child neglected her until she went missing.
I definitely could have given a lower score than the one I gave, however, I elected to bump my rating up. Why? The reason why I rated it at two stars versus one is because I liked that it did help to facilitate a family discussion. There were many things that we discussed based on this book.
The positives that were discussed:
- importance of family communication
- sibling relationships
- patience
- healthy coping skills
- family activities that could be done together
- turning a negative into a positive
The negatives that were discussed:
- neglect and not paying attention to the needs of everyone
- name calling
- running away versus facing your problem directly
- tantrum behaviors
This book was about a middle child who wanted a little bit of attention. She exhibited acts that could easily be described in association with a temper tantrum. Unfortunately, the parents of this child neglected her until she went missing.
I definitely could have given a lower score than the one I gave, however, I elected to bump my rating up. Why? The reason why I rated it at two stars versus one is because I liked that it did help to facilitate a family discussion. There were many things that we discussed based on this book.
The positives that were discussed:
- importance of family communication
- sibling relationships
- patience
- healthy coping skills
- family activities that could be done together
- turning a negative into a positive
The negatives that were discussed:
- neglect and not paying attention to the needs of everyone
- name calling
- running away versus facing your problem directly
- tantrum behaviors
March 10, 2021
Great book to read to a small child that wil teach them that temper tantrums will not get you what you want.
January 1, 2018
I sometimes (read: often) announce my departure with the words: “‘I’m leaving!’ shouted Nora, ‘And I’m never coming back!’”
Usually there’s no response but sometimes I get a “bye” or a “who’s Nora?”
December 2, 2012
Rosemary Well’s book, Noisy Nora, is the story of a young mouse’s struggle to get attention from her parents in her home.
The main character, Nora, feels that she does not get enough attention from her parents because they are too busy with her siblings. She tries to get their attention by being mischievous and making loud, noisy disruptions. Nora realizes that this is not working, as her parents continually tell her to be quiet. She became so fed up that she decided to leave and not come back. When her family realized how quiet it was in the house, they noticed that Nora was missing and could not find her anywhere. All of a sudden, Nora comes in and makes a loud and memorable entrance. A noisy Nora is better than no Nora at all.
This book is a great book to read to young kids to teach them that everything is not always about them all the time and that they have to learn to be patient. I liked this book and will be sure to use it in my classroom and even read it to my own kids some day.
The main character, Nora, feels that she does not get enough attention from her parents because they are too busy with her siblings. She tries to get their attention by being mischievous and making loud, noisy disruptions. Nora realizes that this is not working, as her parents continually tell her to be quiet. She became so fed up that she decided to leave and not come back. When her family realized how quiet it was in the house, they noticed that Nora was missing and could not find her anywhere. All of a sudden, Nora comes in and makes a loud and memorable entrance. A noisy Nora is better than no Nora at all.
This book is a great book to read to young kids to teach them that everything is not always about them all the time and that they have to learn to be patient. I liked this book and will be sure to use it in my classroom and even read it to my own kids some day.
March 29, 2020
"Jack had dinner early, Father played with Kate, Jack needed burping, so Nora had to wait. First she banged the window, Then she slammed the door, Then she dropped her sister's marbles on the kitchen floor." And so begins this amusing tale, told with a rollicking rhythm and rhyme, of a middle child who begins to feel a bit neglected, as her mother concentrates on her baby brother, and her father on her older sister, and who decides that the best way to get attention is to make a lot of noise. Nothing she does seems to work, however, until 'Noisy Nora' decides to try something a little different: silence...
Originally published in 1973, with simple artwork in two or three colors, and then reprinted in this 1997 edition, with new, all-color illustrations, Noisy Nora is an immensely engaging, thoroughly readable picture-book, one that would make a fabulous story-hour selection! Middle children will identify with Nora's feeling of neglect - as will most children, really - and sympathize with her determined efforts to gain attention. The ending, in which her family is revealed to be very aware of her after all, is both amusing and reassuring. Thanks, Miriam, for pointing me toward this one!
Originally published in 1973, with simple artwork in two or three colors, and then reprinted in this 1997 edition, with new, all-color illustrations, Noisy Nora is an immensely engaging, thoroughly readable picture-book, one that would make a fabulous story-hour selection! Middle children will identify with Nora's feeling of neglect - as will most children, really - and sympathize with her determined efforts to gain attention. The ending, in which her family is revealed to be very aware of her after all, is both amusing and reassuring. Thanks, Miriam, for pointing me toward this one!
June 30, 2010
This book is on our 1st grade reading list and I should have previewed it better. Over and over in the book, Nora's sister says, "Nora, why are you so dumb?" I hate that word and regretted my son had read it so many times without me.
August 18, 2017
Noisy Nora is a bit of a brat, but she's a mouse, so I forgive her.
April 12, 2019
Cute classic about not getting attention because of
Younger sibling.
Younger sibling.
August 8, 2021
i found a podcast that reads books ↖(^ω^)↗
April 26, 2017
My sister reads this book better than anyone I know. I find myself quoting it many times. Too many people are not familiar with the book. They are missing out. I was quite excited to meet the author and have her sign copies--one for each family member who had kids. I hope they continue the Nora legacy. :-)
3/2/10 & 3/4/10: Using an ever-loved favorite for storytime--WITH all my (aka my sister's) sound effects--FANTASTIC! Both groups loved it. And I learned by the Thursday group to slow it down a lot. While I lost some momentum, the children were able to enjoy the illustrations more and I could tell each child enjoyed seeing them for a lengthy amount of time. I think I even had all the page turns memorized so I didn't have to look at the book. Yay for a great book!
10/9/10 I saw that we owned the big copy of this, and just HAD to read it again. I figured craft storytime was good, because it's a great story for all ages. I got them involved by doing everything Nora did (while asking if that was a good thing--and they thankfully said "no" each time!). Always nice to read a book you love, and it's a great filler when you're running out of preparation time!
2/8/12 Always a favorite with me. I can't help using it when I can. It's also nice that I pretty much have the book memorized and can show pictures and voice actions without having to look at the book myself. The only difference being these newer versions I think have different page layouts than the version I grew up with. Anyway, I tied this in with my Movement theme. So when Nora was disruptive, I had the kids act out & make the noises of the various actions. I may have to be careful with this book, though, because calling names or saying something negative is highly frowned upon now. So older sister calling "Nora" dumb--more than once!--doesn't always go over well. Even when I ask "was that nice?" and they say "no," I still see some concern and kids' and parents' faces.
11/19/14 Used in Animal theme. Same as above, and it worked well.
4/26/17 Used in N theme. They didn't join in as much with making the noises, but they still liked it.
3/2/10 & 3/4/10: Using an ever-loved favorite for storytime--WITH all my (aka my sister's) sound effects--FANTASTIC! Both groups loved it. And I learned by the Thursday group to slow it down a lot. While I lost some momentum, the children were able to enjoy the illustrations more and I could tell each child enjoyed seeing them for a lengthy amount of time. I think I even had all the page turns memorized so I didn't have to look at the book. Yay for a great book!
10/9/10 I saw that we owned the big copy of this, and just HAD to read it again. I figured craft storytime was good, because it's a great story for all ages. I got them involved by doing everything Nora did (while asking if that was a good thing--and they thankfully said "no" each time!). Always nice to read a book you love, and it's a great filler when you're running out of preparation time!
2/8/12 Always a favorite with me. I can't help using it when I can. It's also nice that I pretty much have the book memorized and can show pictures and voice actions without having to look at the book myself. The only difference being these newer versions I think have different page layouts than the version I grew up with. Anyway, I tied this in with my Movement theme. So when Nora was disruptive, I had the kids act out & make the noises of the various actions. I may have to be careful with this book, though, because calling names or saying something negative is highly frowned upon now. So older sister calling "Nora" dumb--more than once!--doesn't always go over well. Even when I ask "was that nice?" and they say "no," I still see some concern and kids' and parents' faces.
11/19/14 Used in Animal theme. Same as above, and it worked well.
4/26/17 Used in N theme. They didn't join in as much with making the noises, but they still liked it.
May 26, 2017
I was excited to read this book, as our local library has it on a list of '100 books to read with children.' I do like the rhyming verses, but there were some things I couldn't get past and found a bit troubling. I find myself avoiding it in the library bin, even, so that's saying something.
First, a main part of the repeated verse in the book has Nora's sister asking "why are you so dumb?" I don't like this at all, and secretly change the word to something more acceptable when I read it aloud with my kids. It wrecks the rhyming, but yeesh.
Second, Nora runs away from home at the end of the book. She freaking RUNS away from HOME. Ok, this plot point did stimulate a discussion with my kids, but I didn't see this coming from what I thought was just going to be a cute little fun-read. #blindsided
I get that the book might be from "a different era," but I couldn't get past all that. Definitely not my fav.
First, a main part of the repeated verse in the book has Nora's sister asking "why are you so dumb?" I don't like this at all, and secretly change the word to something more acceptable when I read it aloud with my kids. It wrecks the rhyming, but yeesh.
Second, Nora runs away from home at the end of the book. She freaking RUNS away from HOME. Ok, this plot point did stimulate a discussion with my kids, but I didn't see this coming from what I thought was just going to be a cute little fun-read. #blindsided
I get that the book might be from "a different era," but I couldn't get past all that. Definitely not my fav.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2008
Nora has nothing to do but make a ruckus as she waits for her mother to feed the baby and her father to play chess with her sister. On and on it goes for poor Nora, but nothing gets anyone’s attention in this rhyming story until Nora says she’s running away. The illustrations are busy and fun, with Wells’ characteristic roly-poly rabbits, and so full of humor that’s it not hard to sympathize with Nora for flying a kite down the stairs, slamming the doors, and ultimately emerging from the broom closet with “a monumental crash.” The pace and rhyme of the text perfectly match the mood, and any child with siblings (and a little too much energy) will find a kindred spirit in Nora’s pranks.
February 29, 2016
It has always bothered me that Kate, Nora's older sister says "why are you so dumb?" and never gets reprimanded. While the books uses fairly simple words (monumental is an exception), rhyme, and repetition to help young children follow the story, I feel that the message is really more for adults. Nora isn't just feeling ignored; she is being ignored.
November 10, 2008
It must be 20 years since I read this book, but I still have it memorized from rereading it so many times to my little sister. I think she empathized with Nora.
July 13, 2024
This little book is my grown-up daughter's favorite book of all time. I just found the 1973 edition that I read to her growing up.
The images are delightful, and so are the words. Umpteen years later, I can still remember them and what an impact it made on her.
It's about a brothers and sister mouses growing up and when a new baby comes home. It's wonderfully told and sure to be a classic in your home, too.
The images are delightful, and so are the words. Umpteen years later, I can still remember them and what an impact it made on her.
It's about a brothers and sister mouses growing up and when a new baby comes home. It's wonderfully told and sure to be a classic in your home, too.
May 17, 2025
(read aloud by himself at 5yo, missed one word, ‘monumental’)
October 26, 2025
Borrowed from the Internet Archive. Not at all surprised Nora reacts as she does. I think I would have flounced out too!
June 21, 2022
Insipid rhymes doom this story about a mouseling that’s suffering from a bad case of sibling rivalry. Wells’ charming illustrations redeem the book, however, especially if it is presented as a wordless tale and children are encouraged to voice their own captions for the pictures.
December 21, 2023
I’m a middle mouse too and totally relate to Nora. Loved the illustrations too. Left me wondering what Nora did when she left the house. Did she go to the neighbors? Did she meet a new friend? Did she climb up a hill and roll back down again?
March 9, 2017
1- I did like this book because is a book of a family. It is a great book for children that need help understanding the different needs every child needs in a family. The book itself is an unique small book with a soft cover. The illustrations are nice and delicate with soft colors.
2- Children would respond with curiosity just by looking at the the cover with Noisy Nora. While reading this book, I will stop and explain that parents are full of love for everybody in the family. Since Noisy Nora has to be always the last one, she makes a lot of noises. I will explain to them that there is no need for that type of behavior. I will ask them questions of who has a baby brother in their family, and I will here how they feel about it.
2- Children would respond with curiosity just by looking at the the cover with Noisy Nora. While reading this book, I will stop and explain that parents are full of love for everybody in the family. Since Noisy Nora has to be always the last one, she makes a lot of noises. I will explain to them that there is no need for that type of behavior. I will ask them questions of who has a baby brother in their family, and I will here how they feel about it.
January 17, 2020
A triumph, simple, with super illustrations (in my edition, anyway), a huge favourite that all middle children (but also, just all children with siblings, or all children who have ever felt ignored... so, all children) can relate to. My kids (5 and 3) laugh out loud at the stuff Nora does to get attention (she bangs on the window! Harharhar! She throws the marbles on the floor! Woohoohoo!), and also laugh at the cute pictures of, say, little brother Jack being towelled down. It does kind of push the agenda that running away could solve your problems, and yes it contains the word "dumb", although I'd assume all siblings have said much worse to each other. So maybe it's dated slightly in this way, but then maybe children's books in the seventies and eighties dared to say more. But it really resonates with kids, I think, still. One of our current favourites.
July 2, 2022
This is a fun story, one I'm sure will be passed down through generations of families. Rosemary Wells has a way of drawing mischief in her character's eyes that makes them likable the whole time they're acting the part of the scamp.
Nora is every bit as interesting and funny as Max (well, at least almost as funny!), and I enjoy Noisy Nora as much now as I ever did. The story reminds us how hard it can be when your loved ones seem too busy to pay attention to you...and how nice it is to find out they truly care after all.
Nora is every bit as interesting and funny as Max (well, at least almost as funny!), and I enjoy Noisy Nora as much now as I ever did. The story reminds us how hard it can be when your loved ones seem too busy to pay attention to you...and how nice it is to find out they truly care after all.
March 5, 2018
Nora is very naughty, and while it is "cute" the book does not resolve this naughty behavior. She's run off and then come back to make a big mess. Her parents are just happy to see her, and I think this just sends the wrong message entirely to children. As an adult I enjoyed it and the illustrations are classic Wells, but I would not read this book to an impressionable young child without a serious conversation.
November 16, 2021
2021
Gift from Harper's grandmother
Basically Nora is a loud nuisance through the book. Then she disappears and worries her family
Gift from Harper's grandmother
Basically Nora is a loud nuisance through the book. Then she disappears and worries her family
December 15, 2021
More like "Neglected Nora?" Middle child feels invisible because she is legitimately getting the shaft from everyone in her family. Middle child acts out for attention and is basically abandoned. Middle child runs away and it takes everyone a while to notice. They search for her in such places as the mailbox and the trash, which is a poignant representation of how much they value her. I was really hoping for the family to learn something here, but the book ends before they get the chance.
April 10, 2009
A favorite in our household, and one we can still recite from memory, decades after we read it to our kids. Rosemary Wells has a firm but gentle grasp of family dynamics. The illustrations (in the 1973 edition we have) don't overwhelm the story. This was our favorite Wells' creation, followed by Timothy Goes to School and Hazel's Amazing Mother.
October 10, 2011
This was one we had at my house when I was a kid (thanks Mom and Dad). We checked it out at the library recently and I remembered how much I love it. It does contain a "running away" reference, but she actually hides in the closet rather than running away. I love how it so accurately describes the life of a middle child.
April 22, 2021
I think this book is cute and fun for younger children, it's goofy and silly and can be interactive if the children are interested enough. I remember reading this book in daycare and my early elementary years. It definitely wasn't my favorite book growing up but something i could always resort back to.
September 17, 2007
Sure it is Rosemary Wells, but this is a horrible book. Poor Nora, who is just an average clutzy kid, is largely ignored by her family and repeatedly called "dumb" by her sister (the classy refrain is "Nora! Why are you so dumb?"). Ugh!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 206 reviews