The Noisy Airplane Ride

Children's Literature

Get ready to take off, it is going to be a noisy ride! Here is a book begging to be read aloud to a captivated audience. The commercial pilot author takes readers on an airplane trip by introducing a sound to start each page. The WUSSHHH of the vent above the seat, the CLUNK of the wheels going up, the DING of the seat belt sign, and many other noises of airline travel are followed by short rhyming text. With upbeat, fast-paced, positive sentences, it will keep the youngest listener interested, and help all become familiar and unafraid of the plane environment. The illustrations are big and boldly colored—a good match for the strength of the text. A section at the back of the book gives more detailed information about other things you might see, hear, and feel on an airplane. 2003, Tricycle Press,
— Barbara Kennedy

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-From the "Stomp, stomp, tromp" of passengers' feet on the Jetway while boarding to the "Hello" of a waiting grandma at journey's end, this picture book focuses on the sounds and sights of an airplane trip. The rhythmic text briefly describes mechanical noises, such as the "Thrum" of the engines and the "Whirrrr" of moving flaps, as well as the familiar cacophony of the cabin, including the "Ding" of the seat-belt sign and the "Ker-oosh" of a flushing toilet. Unfortunately, the rhymes are sometimes awkward and strained ("The wheels bump along again/as the airplane taxis in"). Also, the concepts mentioned are not always clearly explained. For example, part of the landing process is described by a couplet that might baffle youngsters: "Reversers help the plane to slow/by changing where the thrust will go." An interesting spread at the end of the book features a broad diagram of an airplane and provides more information. The computer-generated illustrations are colorful and filled with motion, but the characters seem a bit stiff. Consider this one only if you are looking to supplement such standbys as Fred Rogers's Going on an Airplane (Putnam, 1989; o.p.).-Joy Fleishhacker, formerly at School Library Journal Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

From thumping down the extended Jetway ("STOMP, STOMP, TROMP") into the aircraft, to running out at flight’s end to Grandma’s "HELLO!," this account of an air journey focuses on the typical--normal--noises a passenger might hear. Downs, a professional pilot, provides rhymed explanations for the whines and dings, whooshes and roars an anxious young traveler and his parents hear as they buckle up, take off, use the restroom, spill a drink, and other common occurrences--all of which Gordon depicts in reassuringly bland, digitally created onboard scenes. Closing with a sometimes tongue-in-cheek catalogue of further sounds ("MUZAK . . . you might want to bring earplugs for this special treat during the boarding process"), this makes a contribution both cogent and soothing to the scanty library of preflight, or in-flight, reading matter for young, infrequent fliers. (Picture book. 4-7)