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Friday, July 15, 2022

Everybody in the Red Brick Building, written by Anne Wynter and illustrated by Oge Mora. Balzer & Bray, Harper. 2021. $21.99 ages 3 and up

 


"Woken up by a WaaaAAH!
and a Rraak! Wake up!

Benny pulled Cairo and Miles 
from their sleeping bags
and challenged them to a game
of flashlight tag.
"

I waited for a long time to get a copy of this excellent book. The action happens on a starry night when everyone in the red brick apartment building is fast asleep. That sleep does not last as long as most would like. Baby Izzie is the tiny culprit. She wakes with an ear-shattering WaaaAAH! The repercussions from that one single, though loud, noise reverberate through the entire building. 

Rayhan wakes up to check on his parrot. RraaK! WAKE UP! is the next disturbance in the once-quiet building. The two sounds taken together awaken Benny, Cairo and Miles from their sleeping bags, with nothing better to do than start up a game of tag. Their Pitter Patter STOMP! adds to the cacophony of sound erupting from the building's windows. A cat leaps out one of those windows to land on a car, and set off the car's alarm. As Izzie is quieted, the rest of the building's residents settle back to slumber. As they do so, the gentle sounds of the city lull them. Rest is restored. 

Kids will love the powerful sounds and the cumulative nature of the telling. Loud sounds are repeated as each new one is added; then soft city ones are heard as peace falls upon the building. It is sure to be a well-loved tale at bedtime.  

Oge Mora used 'acrylic paint, gouache, china markers, patterned paper, pastels, and old book clippings' to create her gorgeous collages that bring this nighttime story to glorious life. The power of the loud sounds is fully displayed and invite active participation in the noise-making. They turn quickly to the oft-heard night sounds of the city as peace reigns once more. 

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