I Hear a Noise

by Diane Goode

A little boy, hearing noises at his window at bedtime, calls for his mother. His worst fears are realized, but he learns that monsters have mothers too.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Dragons, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 1988

About the author

Caldecott Honor children's book author/illustrator of over 55 picture books.

Reviews

[Tommy M · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mom used to read this book to me as a kid and it is PURE NIGHTMARE FUEL. Look at the cover. The boy is terrified and that monster is giving a half smile like it's about to destroy him. Plus my mom is a sadist and used to read the "moooother... i heear a noooiiise" part in an extra creepy voice. Somehow the softness of the illustrations makes it even more unsettling and you don't even get the reveal of what the monster REALLY is until 3/4 of the way through the book (by which time I was already in tears and thus was completely unable to even appreciate it) I gave this 5 stars because it's a fond, albeit completely triggering, childhood memory but I really want to know if anyone else was as horrified by this book as I was when I was a kid.

[Amy Layton · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun book!  Goode's book depicts a common fear that children have--there's a noise in the dark, and we don't know what it is.  Usually, those fears really are just tree branches scratching against a window, but what happens when they're not?  This beautifully blends realism and fantasy, and does so in a funny, accessible way.  Children are children no matter the species!  Great for reading out loud.

Review cross-listed here!

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young boy while in bed hears a noise, and his mother reassures him that it's just his imagination, and to go to sleep. But when the "imagination" enters the room, and whisks both mother and son away, things suddenly change. Much to the surprise of the mother and son something startling and amazing happens.

[Lindsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't figure out what in the world half of this book was trying to mean. It starts out with a little boy hearing noises in his room at nightand he yells for his mom numerous times trying to get her to come in and she kept blowing it off as branches on the window, but then a dinosaur, dragon looking thing comes in and takes both the boy and the mom to a new place in the clouds where other large dinosaur and lizard looking things want to play around with the two humans. It ends by the dinosaur that took them in the first place having to return them. Not a very good story at all in my opinion. Don't waste your time reading.

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple but very smart.

A boy is scared that there is a monster lurking outside his window and calls his mother. The two are then whisked away but the monster who is then chastised by his own mother.

The message? Even big scary monsters have mothers they have to obey. There's no need to be scared, they're just like us.