THE NOISY AIRPLANE RIDE

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)