Nora's Room [Hardcover]

Jessica Harper (Author), Lindsay Harper duPont (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

What's going on in Nora's room?

Is it a Moose
on the Loose?

Is it a game of
Duck, Duck,
Goose?

Take a look inside!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The siblings who previously offered I Don't Want to Chase the Cat Today here create a jaunty picture-book adaptation of one of Harper's children's songs. "Crash! Bang! Crash! Bang! Boom! Something's going on in Nora's room!" begins this zippy flight of imagination. While Mom tends to two younger siblings, strange and very loud sounds emanate from behind Nora's bedroom door in a rollicking verse. All the while, Mom, the babies and the family dog envision what could be causing all the ruckus: "Sounds like hippos at a hippo hop./ Or when you pick up a piano and you let it drop./ / Like London Bridge is really falling down!/ Or a couple of giants are sitting on a town!" At book's end, when Nora's mother investigates, nothing is amiss. Readers are privy to the joke though, thanks to duPont's cheery slightly stylized artwork featuring muted ochre, pumpkin and melon tones with a bold outline. She shows a grinning Nora in a room filled with toy versions of everything mentioned in the previously imagined scenarios. This bouncy, fun-to-read-aloud outing may well encourage readers to seek out Harper's Nora's Room recording. Ages 3-8.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-A playful, rollicking romp from the sister team that created I'm Not Going to Chase the Cat Today! (HarperCollins, 2000). "Crash! Bang! Crash! Bang! Boom! Something's going on in Nora's room-." Rhyming text with a beat speculates on what the commotion is all about. Colorful, imaginative illustrations with humorous details depict the possible happenings, such as a bear dancing with a moose and "a couple of gorillas playing duck, duck, duck-Goose!" Even the text fonts bounce along on the pages. A musical version of this story is found on Harper's CD Nora's Room (Alacazam, 1996). Pair this title with Rosemary Wells's Noisy Nora (Viking, 1999) for a boisterous storytime.
Debbie Stewart, Grand Rapids Public Library, MI
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 22 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (May 22, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060291362
• ISBN-13: 978-0060291365
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #944,718 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jessica Harper



Jessica Harper wears many hats. As an actress she co-starred in Stardust Memories with Woody Allen, Pennies From Heaven with Steve Martin, My Favorite Year with Peter O'Toole, Minority Report with Tom Cruise and cult favorites 'Phantom of the Paradise' and 'Suspiria.' Harper won a Cable Ace Award for best actress in 'It's Garry Shandling's Show,' and her numerous other television appearances include a guest shot on Late Night With David Letterman. Her stage experience ranges from 'Hair' on Broadway to co-starring with Al Pacino in regional theatre.

After she became a mom in 1989, Jessica wrote and produced seven CDs of music for children, which have earned multiple awards and rave reviews from critics in Entertainment Weekly, Parenting, Family Fun, Billboard and others. TV Guide's Parent's Guide stated that 'her lyrics'rank with the best of contemporary children's poetry.' Of Harper's 2002 release, 'Inside Out,' Lynne Heffley of the LA Times said, 'Children's music doesn't get better than this.' People Magazine did a special feature on Harper, her music, and her focus on family.

Not busy enough just being an actress, recording artist , mom, and wife of a busy executive, Jessica became an award-winning author, penning seven picture books in the last decade, including the best-selling 'Nora's Room.' Her most recent book, 'A Place Called Kindergarten' (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2006), received a starred review in Publisher's Weekly and a NAPPA Gold Award. Next on the agenda for Harper is a series of chapter books for young readers. The first, 'Uh-oh, Cleo,' will be published by G.P. Putnam's Sons this spring.

Jessica's charitable work includes a board position at PXE International (www.pxe.org) and weekly mentoring sessions with a teenage girl, under the auspices of WriteGirl (www.writegirl.org).

For lots more information, please visit Jessica's website: www.jessicaharper.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What's Going on in Nora's Room?, August 12, 2001

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nora's Room (Hardcover)

"Crash! Bang! Crash! Bang! Boom! Something's going on in Nora's room!" Mother, cooking dinner, baby twins playing in the kitchen, the family dog and even a pet parakeet wonder at all the noise from upstairs. "How much noise does a little girl need? Sounds like the whole city zoo got freed!" Could it be bears dancing with moose, rhinos playing musical chairs or gorillas playing duck, duck, goose? Maybe it's an elephant hoedown or a couple of giants sitting on a town. Let's go upstairs to the door that says "Enter if you Dare" and find out..... The dynamic sister duo of Jessica Harper and Lindsay Harper duPont have authored another clever, silly picture book that's perfect for youngsters 3-7. Ms Harper's humorous rhyming text is complemented by her sister's wonderfully expressive and colorful illustrations and together they've created a charming, joyful story, with a little joke at the end, that won't be lost on young readers. So take a deep breath, open that bedroom door and find out what Nora's up to.

5.0 out of 5 stars My Son Loves This Book!, January 18, 2012

By 

Author of Awaken Your Power! "Joe Rapisarda" (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nora's Room (Hardcover)

If you want to know which children's books are good all you have to do is listen to your child. My 2 1/2 year old son, Ryan, loves this book. Each night before we read books together he says to me, "Papa...read Crash, Bang, Boom?" Crash, Bang, Boom is the common theme of the book Nora's room. I give this book a two thumbs up. Great job!

5.0 out of 5 stars A Family Favorite!, April 11, 2010

By 

Avid Reader 21 (Sunny California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nora's Room (Hardcover)

Jessica Harper is a STAR in our family.

This book has been a favorite of my daughter's for years.
Jessica's CD "Nora's Room" was played so often on short and long car rides, we had to replace the cassette (yes, cassette!) several times. (When the new car came along, we replaced those cassettes with CDs!)

Fortunately for us, Jessica was inspired to bring the wonderment of all the fun things happening inside Nora's bedroom (and her imagination) to print. With beautiful, bright and fun illustrations - this book became an absolute favorite of our daughter, and became the "MUST" gift for my friends' and family's new babies and children's birthdays.

If you are looking for a book to add to your classic collection of children's books, you've found it!