Too Much Noise

by Ann McGovern

published by the trumpet club a trumpet club special edition

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Storytime, Animals, Fiction, Folk Tales

48 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 1967

About the author

Ann McGovern Scheiner (née Weinberger) was an American writer of more than 55 children's books, selling over 30 million copies. She may be best known for her adaptation of Stone Soup, as well as Too Much Noise, historical and travel non-fiction, and biographies of figures like Harriet Tubman and Deborah Sampson Gannett and Eugenie Clark.

Reviews

[Suz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was really good! Given my dislike of too much noise, I wondered what this round be about my new GR friend, Dorine, has a lot of good kids books on her list, and I have enjoyed seeking them out. It’s fun finding books so easily at my library from friends book lists on the other side of the world!

Reminiscent of ‘My cat likes to hide in boxes’ this is a building, rhyming and repetitive tale that I could have fun with speed, tone, fun voices and general silliness. I seem to do this easily! Of course it makes reading fun for Indy (5).

Peter finds the everyday noises of his little house rather annoyingly loud. The swish of the leaves, the ring of the kettle. After several visits to the wise man of the village, Peter is told to get many many noisy animals. Why would this be so.

A sweet tale, written many years ago; our copy was very yellow. It struck me as a book about mindfulness in a way. Years before it became a thing.

Indy loved it, we will read it many more times. Lucky my loans at work extend forever! The illustrations engaged him in the story, also, which shows he’s using all the features of a book leading to learning to read. Thanks Dorine for showing me some quality books!

[Dorine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another well-worn paperback with a sing-song rhythm that my granddaughters enjoy. By seven and eight, it was easy for them to read themselves as well. We took turns reading it to each other this year. I have the 15th printing from 1975 - another one from my family's childhood collection.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too Much Noise by Ann McGovern, illustrated by Simms Taback is one of my favorite read-aloud stories and a great picturebook.

Peter asks the village wise man what to do about his noisy house. His strange advice involves bringing animals into Peter's house: first a cow, then a donkey, a sheep, a hen, a dog and a cat. They all add to the noise. The wise man then tells the complaining Peter to let all the animals go. Peter lets them go, and realizes that he has a very quiet house.

McGovern's text is printed on one page with the accompanying illustrations on the opposite side, making it easy to read. The repetition, especially of the sounds, make this a hit with readers and listeners.

Taback's memorable pictures perfectly illustrate the humorous characters and annoying animals. I enjoy seeing the same pointing motion used by the wiseman and Peter, sending the animals away. My favorite illustration is the one showing Peter holding his ears, with the cat on his head and all the animals making noise.

This is one of the best participatory books to read aloud. The repetition is great, making it easy to get listeners to repeat the many sounds to really carry this story along. The message of accepting things as they are, delivered with humor, is also a good one.

For ages 3 to 7, noise, animals, creativity, humor, participatory, repetition, sounds, predictions, problem-solving, read-aloud, and fans of Ann McGovern and Simms Taback.

[Anayssa Pulido · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about a man named Peter who begins hearing noises in his house and decides to visit a wise man to help him figure out what he can do about his noisy house. After talking to the wise man, he makes Peter get several different kinds of animals to his house to help him solve the problem until there is an entire farm in Peter’s house. It isn't until the end when he realizes and values the peacefulness of his home. There were definitely times when i caught myself smiling and even laughing a little out loud from the characters in the story! The illustrations in this book are done by Simms Taback. He used very basic colors such as blue, white, brown and orange. He used a lot of shading and great face expressions on the animals as well as the people. The illustrations in this book are a little different from what we are use to seeing in the rest of Simms Taback’s illustrations, but still done with great detail.

[Kurt Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all the options out there to read to your little one, this is the one to go for. Not that you should only read them this one book alone, but that this is the best book they will read.

Wanna teach your kid the alphabet, colors, how many sides a triangle has? Those books are a dime a dozen. This gem cuts through all the baby baloney and goes straight for the meaning of life. The simple fable has a sly moral: the secret to happiness is simply a matter of perspective. Is there any greater gift you can give a precocious young mind than everlasting inner peace?

Not to mention the illustrations are beautiful, and every kid will also love the sounds each animal makes as they invade poor Peter's house.

But make no mistake: this book blows minds in the best way possible. More adults need to learn that complaining about something doesn't make it better. The sooner your child understands the moral of this book, the happier they will be in the world, even during the toughest of times.

[Vivian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Telling this story will keep the attention of all ages.
Do motions to the repeated lines
The bed creaked (make your hand a pillow to your tipped head)
The floor squeeked (put your finger to your mouth in a "shhh" gesture)
Outside the wind blew the leaves through the trees (sweep arms saying "whoooo")
The leaves fell on the roof (swish arms back and forth while saying "swish, swish")
The tea kettle whistled (make a handle and a spout & tip while saying, "ssssss")
"Too noisy," (cover ears with hands).

The fun begins as animals start crowding into the house. The children always love making animal sounds with you.

I have cut the pages out of my book, adhered them to tagboard cut about an inch larger than the pages, (illustration on the front of the tagboard piece and text on the back of the tagboard piece), laminated the pieces & numbered them on the back from 1 to 16. I call this a "flip-card" story. It frees my hands to make motions.

[Luann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a childhood favorite. We had a record that went along with this book and I can't even guess how many times my sister and I listened to it. I could probably quote most of it by heart even now. "Too much noise!" :)

I've also helped with several puppet show productions of this book for the public library summer reading program. We've done a regular version twice, and an "under the sea" version once. Maybe next summer we will do a "desert animals" version since that will be the theme.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this book. I loved how the wise man added to the noise of the house with a new addition each time. I would love to have this book in my classroom. I could not wait to turn the page to see just what would be added next. It would be a wonderful read-aloud book in the classroom. It will be an addition to my own library.

[Ronna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was read to me, and then I read it to myself over and over again. It is one of the very few books I remember from childhood, and the artwork still induces snuggling. The story made this kid feel like she was getting away with something just by sleeping in peace and quiet.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good story, a moral tale very similar to the book "It Could Always Be Worse" by Margot Zemach. It is a bit silly, but the repetitive narrative and animal sounds are good for reading with children.

[Nina Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a winner! This is an oldie goldie of a story with repetition, animal sounds, and nature noises. Based on a universal motif, this one will entertain your little one endlessly, especially if you invite their participation in making the sounds and finishing the phrases!

[Maki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a funny story about an old man who thinks his house is too noisy. They keep adding more and more animals until he cannot bare it. Then as the animals leave, the house gets quieter and quieter and eventually he thinks it is quieter.

[Sheri Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A favorite of mine as a child. It is now my daughter's current favorite.

[Katie Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very cute book. It is a good book to read to children to teach them to be thankful for what they have because a situation could always be worse than it already is.

[Jade Saleem · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book to hae students interactt with the stor. Students can playinstruments wh this book. This home is just too noisy for Peter.

[Savannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun read! I liked how the story added on throughout. I loved the lesson behind the story as well. A great teaching tool for not complaining and being grateful.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cute book to read. My 3 kids and I enjoyed reading this book. I would recommend this book to others.

[Taylar Sizemore]

This book would be very helpful in teaching students to identify patterns within a text as well as teaching rhythm within a text. Assigning students a specific animal in the book and giving them a corresponding instrument to play when reading the book will also teach the students how to work together to perform a narrative musical activity.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this story! This is a very funny story about an old man named Peter who lives in an old, old house. From his bed and floor, to the wind and leaves, everything is making too much noise for Peter. Peter decides to seek advice from the wise man of the village about what he can do to make it less noisy. The wise man tells him to get a cow and Peter does despite questioning the wise man's help. Of course, the cow is just as noisy along with the original troublesome sounds. Peter goes back to the wise man and this time Peter is told to get a donkey.

After poor Peter gets 6 different animals, he's furious and complains to the wise man. The wise man then tells Peter to let the animals go which he does. When Peter doesn't hear the sounds from the animals, he realizes finally how quiet his house is. At the end, Peter falls asleep and dreams a very quiet dream.

This book would make a great audio story since you only have to hear the sounds. I plan on using this story and turning it into a reader's theater. A wonderful interactive story for children.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. 2.5 stars rounded up.

The story is OK but also a version of the same story that I read a few months ago; both seem to be retellings of existing folklore.

Given the date of the original publication and that there are only two human characters in the book, I am not judging too harshly that both characters were male with no human female characters at all. That said, it really is annoying when that is the case especially when the writer is female herself.

Aside from the lack of originality and female characters the book overall just did not connect with me. Seriously, if the squeaky floors bother the man so much then why does he not fix them? I also wondered what happened to all of the animals after he unceremoniously evicted them from the home that he had brought them to in the first place. Finally, the book was really repetitive. I suppose some children would find that a positive feature. However, many children likely would, and this adult definitely did find it tedious.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter's house is so loud! He can't take it anymore so he goes to a wise man to ask him what he should do. The wise man tells him to get a cow, then a donkey, then a sheep, etc. Peter can't help wondering how this could help. Now his house is louder than ever with all those animal sounds! When he goes back to the wise man he tells him to get rid of all his animals, so he does. Peter has never realized how quiet his house really is. This is one of those clever little stories that I think really fits the time in which it was written, but will always remain a great read aloud. All the repetition and animal sounds are perfect for interacting with a group of kids. It might even make a good felt board story if you can find all the pieces.

[Shelby Everitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Too Much Noise" has always been a classic in my family. Read to my brother and I by our father at bedtime, this story was an animated one about an old man with a noisy house. It starts with one sound, a tea kettle whistling, and to fix it he goes to a wise man who gives him another noisy animal to cover the noise of the first sound. At the end, the old man has so many loud animals that he wants to go crazy. He gets rid of all of the animals and that makes the tea kettle noise seem nice and quiet. This is a great way to teach children about putting things in perspective. Somethings might seem bad to you but to someone else they could be a blessing. It would be good to read to younger grades because it is a funny story that also has a good message to tell. I highly recommend it.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything's relative. The man complains to the "wise man" that his house is too noisy. The Wise man tells him to basically invite the barnyard into this house - get a cow, get a donkey, etc. (Each is a seperate recommendation, hence the repetition of animal sounds that even my 1 year old likes.) In the end, there is complete cacophony and chaos in the end. At which time the wise man says - get rid of all those animals.

and then the man loves his quiet, peaceful house (even though the same creaks and squeaks are still there).

so if you fancy that your house is too small, noisy, messy, smelly, just go for a little perspective.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. I think this book would be great for beginning readers due to the repetition usage. The old man complained about his house being too noisy. He went to the wise man for some advice. The wise man told Peter to get a cow, donkey, sheep, hen, cat, and a dog. Peter didn't understand how that would help make his house quiet but he did it anyway. He was very angry with all the nose. He went back to the wise man and complained. The wise man told him to get rid of all the animals. Now he was happy because his house was nice and quiet.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about an old man that was tired of all the noise his house made, from the floor boards to the tea kettle, it was driving him crazy!! So he went to see the wise old man and he told him to get a cow, then a donkey, ect. He went and got all these things but his problem only got worse! Now there was WAY too much noise. He got rid of all the animals the wise man told him to get and then all of a sudden the tiny noises that bothered him before didn't bug him at all.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The muted illustrations evoke a time gone by when picture books were full of silly characters, simple illustrations, and repetitive text.

Too Much Noise has a simple story to tell...you don't really know how noisy it is until all of God's creature start to create their unique racket.

Used for "No More Noise" Storytime: July, 2011.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter goes off to the village wise man to find out what he could do about his noisy house. It seemed like a simple enough problem at the beginning, but more and more complications set in—in the forms of a donkey, a sheep, and a cow, to name a few, until it looked as though an entire farm had come to life right there in Peter’s house!

[Shelby Parkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the moral of this story, but it was a little long. It's a story about a man who feels his house is too noisy and he gets advice from a wise man on what to do. He goes to the wise man various times and by the end the plan of the wise man is revealed to the readers. I felt it was dragged on a little too long, but it is an easy book for children to understand.

[Susy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great addition to the library of any child as it is ideal for reading aloud and the moral of the story -- hidden in the whimsy of the story -- doesn't whack the listener over the head with "Important Lesson." Yes, there is a lesson but it is subtly conveyed. Did I mention the book is whimsical?

[Ecl Storytellers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read together book. Each page builds on the one before with a full caucophony of sounds (including a farmyard) by the end. Older listeners will appreciate the silliness and younger listeners will love making the barn animal sounds. Easily shortened for younger listeners, too. An idea: kids can use different instruments to mimic the different things in the house making noise