Perhaps it's because my own dream of becoming a children's book writer has yet to materialize that I jumped at the chance to support someone else in his dream. Or maybe it's because I could so strongly identify with what he had written. In any event, I hardly hesitated in purchasing Tomas Christensen's book, What's that noise? in which he provides some rather quirky explanations for, well, what that noise could be. As a mother of children who insist that the multitude of strange noises they hear emanating from our basement is testament to the fact that there must be any number of monsters calling it home, I desperately wanted to shed some light-hearted humor on a rather delicate subject. Let's face it, when our wee ones are freaked out by those unexplainable bump-in-the-night noises, it's nice to have a silly explanation on hand. My children LOVED the story and quickly and repeatedly devoured it. It's been a staple on our living room coffee table for the past week and is already showing those unmistakable signs of wear and tear that mark a truly enjoyable story.

Screeech! Ping! Ker-Plunk! Loved those sound effects. A charming book for the littlest readers, though anyone who appreciates cartooning will appreciate the lively artwork. Fun creatures turn up on every page, and the text has a Dr. Seuss-like quality that makes you recite it aloud. (Maybe the author should do a companion Audiobook or podcast.) Highly recommended!