NORA’S ROOM

Sisters Harper and duPont team up once again (I’m Not Going to Chase the Cat Today!, 2000) to create a stridently silly tale to tickle funnybones. A cacophonous ruckus emanating from a young girl’s room leads her mother to ponder what exactly is going on behind that closed door. Relayed in jaunty rhymes, parent, canine, and even the infant twins provide a hilarious commentary on the root cause of all that uproar. The absurdities escalate, as each new suggestion is more outrageous than the last: dancing bears, hopping hippos, and playful gorillas are all offered up as plausible sources. “Sounds like a rodeo right upstairs. Or a bunch of rhinos playing musical chairs!” However, when Nora’s mother, unable to stand the suspense any longer, asks her what’s going on, a demure Nora offers that classic response: “Oh, nothing.” And the picture shows all of those possible culprits in their stuffed forms. The format of this romp is more akin to a comic strip than a traditional picture book, with the text contained within thought bubbles above various characters’ heads. DuPont’s wacky illustrations suit the offbeat tale and free-spirited Nora just fine; amidst pictures of two-stepping elephants and waltzing behemoths, a gleeful Nora can be discovered cutting loose. Loads of fun to read aloud—the text and art just beg for exaggerated theatrics on the reader’s part: this is one rollicking ride. (Picture book. 3-8)