Tumford’s Rude Noises

Tumford the Terrible is back!

And, like many children, Tum loves to make loud noises. But today, his parents are not in the mood. They have friends coming over and Tummy isn’t just loud. No, Tumford is rude!

This second in my Tumford series reaffirms that, no matter how much trouble your children may get into, they are loved.

Sample Spreads

Reviews for Tumford’s Rude Noises:

Publishers Weekly

In this follow-up to Tumford the Terrible, Tillman’s misbehaving kitten has a new pastime: “Face in his bowl, he blew bubbles and slurped./ Eating his sweet roll, he giggled and burped.” And when visitors stop by, Tumford does something even worse (it’s rendered with random typographical marks emanating from Tumford’s rear end). Tillman asks readers to help reform Tumford (“Whisper these words in Tum’s ear if you would…./ ‘Tumford… not all attention is good’ ”), then assures them their advice has been taken (“Now, there was no need for Tum’s folks to scold him./ He’d learned his lesson… you’d already told him!”). Tillman’s digitally rendered illustrations are both endearingly fuzzy and madly stylish, with red spike heels for Tumford’s human mother and her friends, retro cat toys, and baby animals wearing wee bandannas just like Tumford’s. The kitten’s winning expressions—he looks like a talented child actor who just happens to be zipped into a cat suit—and the surefire device of impolite body noises make this sequel even more of a draw than the original.

School Library Journal

As in Tumford the Terrible (Feiwel & Friends, 2011), the appealingly mischievous cat is causing havoc. His human parents are about to host a party, and he has been making loud and rude noises all day long: beating his drum, slurping his food, burping, and generally trying to get attention. The final straw comes when the guests have arrived and Tumford makes a very rude noise and is banished to time-out. The text invites readers to tell Tumford that not all attention is good, and he reforms himself. The Stoutts reassure him that they love him in spite of everything and promise that he can sometimes be silly in private, so Tum “with a grin mostly sweet and sincere,/made a rude little noise into Georgy’s left ear.” Tillman’s illustrations are wonderful and her black-and-white cat perfection (in looks, not behavior). He looks like a real feline with sometimes human expressions. Readers cannot help but love him just as his parents do: “madly from whiskers to toes.” With its special message that even those who misbehave will still be loved, this book will surely entertain and reassure all the little Tumfords out there — cats and toddlers! Not to be missed. — Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA.

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