Everybody in the Red Brick Building

by Anne Wynter, Oge Mora (Illustrator)

Overview

A fresh, urban take on bedtime stories in the spirit of The House That Jack Built and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, from debut author Anne Wynter and Caldecott Honoree Oge Mora.

Everybody in the red brick building was asleep. Until . . .

WaaaAAH!

Rraak! Wake up!

Pitter patter STOMP!

Pssheew!

A chain reaction of noises wakes up several children (and a cat) living in an apartment building. But it’s late in the night, so despite the disturbances, one by one, the building’s inhabitants return to their beds—this time with a new set of sounds to lull them to sleep.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062865762
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/19/2021
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	128,601
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD650L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Anne Wynter is the Ezra Jack Keats Award–winning author of the picture books Nell Plants a Tree, Everybody in the Red Brick Building, and Patrick and the Not So Perfect Party as well as the board books Hands On!, One Big Day, Just Like You, and No More Sleeping In. Originally from Houston, Texas, she currently lives in Austin, Texas, with her family. 

Oge Mora graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in illustration. Her debut picture book, Thank You, Omu!, was a Caldecott Honor Book, a New York Times Notable Book and Editors’ Choice, and a Junior Library Guild selection. She is also the author-illustrator of Saturday as well as the illustrator of The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read. Oge lives in Providence, Rhode Island, and invites you to visit her website at ogemora.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 08/09/2021

Lush collages in jewel tones by Caldecott Honoree Mora illuminate the story of a restless night in a city apartment building whose inhabitants represent many ethnicities, skin tones, and family structures. Everyone’s asleep when Baby Izzie wakes up and cries—the child’s “WaaaAAH!” is shown in a big speech balloon, and a magenta splash testifies to its volume. It wakes Rayhan, a neighbor who checks on his parrot. The bird’s “RraaK! WAKE UP!” rouses three kids in sleeping bags, whose game of flashlight tag disturbs another neighbor—and so it goes, the mishaps and their soundtrack piling up like “The House that Jack Built.” When the climactic racket is finally stilled, Mora shows the apartment dwellers settling down again, now lulled by the build of softer noises: the “shhhh shhhh” of the street sweeper, the “plonk plonk” of falling acorns, and more. Simple shapes and comforting interior scenes signal security, while brilliant colors—the red brick building’s fuchsia doorway, the dimensional dark blue of the night sky—convey warmth. In this lulling story by debut author Wynter, readers watch a group of people confront the same common communal experience—and overcome it. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"The onomatopoeia in this cumulative tale is appropriate for the actions described and is so much fun to read . . . Certain to become a favorite bedtime book." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Sounds rise to a crescendo and then descend into quiet in this rollicking roller coaster of a book. . . . A sound-evocative tour de force." — Booklist (starred review)

"Mora's dynamic, richly colored collage art reinforces the warm, cozy scenes and adds depth, ­texture, and vitality to the pages. The subtle diversity, urban setting, and universality of theme make this an excellent addition to bedtime bookshelves everywhere." — Horn Book (starred review)

"Mora's art is the ideal match for Wynter's engaging text . . . This gentle sonic adventure is just right for sending children off to sleep." — BookPage (starred review)

"Lush collages in jewel tones by Caldecott Honoree Mora illuminate the story of a restless night in a city apartment building whose inhabitants represent many ethnicities, skin tones, and family structures . . . In this lulling story by debut author Wynter, readers watch a group of people confront the same common communal experience—and overcome it." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

From the Publisher

★ 2021-07-14
A crying baby sets off a chain reaction of responses from the neighbors she wakes in the red brick building.

Baby Izzie wakes up in the night with a “WaaaAAH!” Her wail wakes not only those in her apartment, but also neighbor Rayhan, who inadvertently wakes his parrot, who announces: “RraaK! WAKE UP!” The parrot’s squawks and baby’s cries wake more and more neighbors, who rouse others in the building until everyone is awake and contributing to the late-night hullabaloo. Finally, Pepper the cat manages to set off a car alarm that yells “WEE YOOO WEEEE YOOOOO!!!!” into the night. Eventually, all the neighbors—a testament to urban diversity—settle down from the excitement and return to bed. Each is lulled by soft, gentle sounds that begin with the “shhh shhh” of a street sweeper, the “plonk plonk” of falling acorns, and the “ting ting” of a wind chime. The onomatopoeia in this cumulative tale is appropriate for the actions described and is so much fun to read. Mora’s beautiful, vivid geometric illustrations incorporate the onomatopoeia in the first half of the story. They sprawl across spreads and invite loud reading but are absent by the time the story begins to make its turn back to the starting point. That “shhh shhh” sound from the street sweeper brings calm and quiet to the activity in the red brick building—and, as if by magic, readers as well. Sotto voce: very well done! (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Certain to become a favorite bedtime book. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews