The Noise Inside Boys: A Story About Big Feelings

by Pete Oswald (Author)

The Noise Inside Boys: A Story About Big Feelings
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

Pete Oswald, the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator and father of three sons unravels the confusing emotions inside boys today against the backdrop of a day at the beach.

When two older brothers tease their younger brother, overwhelming feelings surface, along with the urge to push them away. Highlighted with a rainbow of vibrant colors, this important book shows how the turbulent emotions we experience can be managed by naming and understanding them. Based on real life experience, this story about three brothers offers insight and wisdom that all kids --and grown-ups-- will take to heart.

Pete Oswald is best knows as the NYT #1 bestselling illustrator of The Good Egg as the other books in that series. He is also the illustrator of Attack of the Underwear Dragon, Return of the Underwear Dragon, and Blue Bison Needs a Haircut. Hike, his first solo picture book author/illustrator debut, and it received five starred reviews and demonstrated Pete's ability to capture important family moments. Similarly, The Noise Inside Boys is Pete's return to social emotional learning books.

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Publishers Weekly

Oswald (Sleepy Sheepy) invites readers to consider "the noise inside boys" while tracing feelings' internal ebb and flow. As a white-presenting family hits the beach, the youngest sibling of three takes time constructing an ambitious sandcastle, which topples when a soccer ball sails right into the middle of it. The child stands wordless, clutching a beach towel, wind-like swirls signaling a welter of feelings before the child takes off at a run. Back home, the youth's caregiver works with the child to catalog a range of emotions in loose, light rhymes ("You might feel worried.../ or jealous.../ or mad") as corresponding, digitally finished monochrome vignettes show other scenarios: the kid fretting over schoolwork, watching others receive trophies, and experiencing taunting. Images of the child swinging a bat with confidence and dancing a ballet solo next indicate settings in which they might feel pleased with themselves. The title raises questions about gender and emotion that the text never delves into, making this a straightforward picture book primer centered on internal noticing: "Listen to your emotions--learn how to name them./ Then you'll know better how to explain them." A closing chart shows the faces of 20 children portrayed with different skin tones, each expressing an emotion. Ages 3-7. (May)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes



Pete Oswald
Pete Oswald is the illustrator of the New York Times bestsellers The Bad Seed and The Good Egg, both written by Jory John. He worked as a character designer and concept artist on the popular films Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Hotel Transylvania, and ParaNorman. He was also the art director and production designer for The Angry Birds Movie. Pete Oswald lives in Santa Monica, California, with his wife and three children.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780593483220
Lexile Measure
450
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Random House Studio
Publication date
May 02, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039050 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emotions & Feelings
JUV005000 - Juvenile Fiction | Boys & Men
JUV013000 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | General
Library of Congress categories
-

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