Nobody Listens to Andrew

By Elizabeth Guilfoile

Illustrated by Mary Stevens

Several weeks ago, as I was lying in bed during the very early morning hours, unable to sleep, the memory of this book popped into my head.  I hadn’t laid eyes on the book in many years, yet I still remembered some of the illustrations and a few of the lines.  Once the sun started to rise, I finally got up and fortunately a quick internet search led me to a copy of Nobody Listens to Andrew on Amazon Used Books. 

 

We probably had this book around the house when I was growing up because one of my brother’s names is Andrew.  My mother, a life-long bibliophile, liked to find books with main characters that shared a name with one of her children.  (It wasn’t until I was in high school that she found The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole!)

Nobody Listens to Andrew is a beginning reader with a short, simple text.  A little boy is desperately trying to tell his family and neighbors something very important, but everyone is too busy to listen.  Daddy needs to cut the grass, Ruthy wants to go roller skating before dark, Bobby says, “Don’t bother me, Andrew”, because he’s too busy looking for his bat and ball.  

Eventually, Andrew becomes louder and more insistent.  When the others finally stop to listen, they discover that Andrew did have something very important to say.  There was a bear in his bed!  

After resolving the bear situation, Daddy says, “Next time, we will listen to Andrew.”

A modern version of this book would have Daddy working at his computer, Ruthy texting her friends, and Bobby playing video games.  Mother would be too busy on Facebook and Mr. Neighbor wouldn’t hear him because he would be listening to his Ipod.  

Often, I’ve noticed that parents out in public are paying attention to their cell phones rather than the conversation and cries of their young children.  How often could the phone calls or texts have waited until another time?  

Just like all of us, children want to be heard.  To acknowledge a child with the gift of attentive conversation is a gift that will last their lifetime.