cover image The Merchant of Noises

The Merchant of Noises

Anna Rozen, , illus. by François Avril, trans. from the French by Carl W. Scarbrough.. Godine, $18.95 (28pp) ISBN 978-1-56792-321-6

For all its onomatopoeia, this book about noises proves remarkably understated. The title's merchant, aptly named Mister Bing, discovers his calling when a wayward twig falls on a tree stump. "Klackata! " Bing, delighted by the tone, takes the twig and stump to the market, where a mother buys them for her son. Walking home, Bing hears the "Trika, trika, trika, trok! " of raindrops, and sets out to mimic this percussion too; notably, he assigns accidental beauty a monetary value, and he doesn't think of sharing his pleasures for free. Soon he becomes famous for noisemaking sculptures, which resemble misshapen trumpets or modernist appliances à la Noguchi or Calder. The hollow vessels' names (such as the Zwippp ) appear in display type, which emphasizes their visual and aural dimensions, and charmed gallery-goers think the work looks as good as it sounds. The entrepreneur's only, brief worry is a "missing TrooLOOOOlooo ," stolen by a competitor who makes cheap knockoffs; the tale limps to a close as Mister Bing Junior inherits the business and the late Bing looks down from "a realm of infinite silence," criticizing his son's invention, the Bloopeeee . Avril pictures Bing as an architect type in I.M. Pei specs, bowler hat, red bow tie and green jacket. She composes trim, neat and tiny line drawings in airy, geometric white space; combined with the monochrome black print, the effect is elegant, modern and hushed. Just as Avril's calm drawings imply quiet over passion, Rozen's story of art-for-capitalism's-sake neglects the joy of listening. Ages 5-up. (Apr.)