Animal Sound Mix-up

Another internet friend sent me a PDF of her book to review. I guess the word is getting out that I review books for kids. However even if I know the authors, I try always to be honest.

There are countless books for young children about the sounds animals make. I remember my brother enjoying books like that back in the 1940s and as a mother, preschool teacher, and grandmother I've seen dozens more advising kids that "Cows say 'Moo'" and "Dogs say 'Bow-Wow.' " However I've never seen one like Connie Arnold's Animal Sound Mix-up, which asks children to imagine what would happen if animals made the wrong sounds. Children will probably laugh at the crazy possibilities.

Unlike many rhyming picture books, the rhythm and meter flow naturally and the message that God made animals the way they really are is a positive one.

As you can see from the cover, Illustrator Kit Grady did an excellent job of capturing the amusing feeling of the book.

In my humble opinion, little kids will love this book.

Here are some interesting facts about animal sounds that Connie gave me to share:

Roosters can't crow if they can't fully extend their necks. A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why. A lion's roar can be heard from five miles away. Giraffes have no vocal cords. Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, while dogs only have about ten. Many hamsters only blink one eye at a time. An ostrich's eye is bigger than it's brain. Elephants and camels both have four knees. It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky. Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.

The Sister Exchange

Maybe it's because I experienced a bit of sibling rivalry myself, but I often seem to say books I review might be helpful for families dealing with that problem.

Kevin McNamee has written a book specifically for kids dealing with sibling rivalry. It's interesting that the characters' names are the same as those in the dedication, so probably the author is writing from personal experience.

The Sister Exchange is a delightful picture book about Brianna, who wants to trade in her annoying little sister, Julianne, for a better one.

Julianne drives Brianna crazy by following her around and trying to do everything her big sister does. But when the older girl asks her mother if she can exchange her sister, Mom comes up with an amazingly creative way to solve the problem.

The delightful illustrations by Kit Grady do a perfect job of showing what the characters and settings look like.

I think every family with more than one young child would be wise to get this book and read it to their kids often.

Another Book Review

I recently read Doggie Day Camp; Verb and Adverb Adventures by Cynthia Reeg.

The first part of the book is a story that will appeal to young kids, especially those going to school for the first time who might identify with Bubba's nervousness about being left at the day camp for dogs. Those children will probably pick up some information about grammar, too.

Older kids will learn a lot about grammar while they have fun with the games and puzzles in the study guide, which makes the book appropriate for use in educational situations.

The cute illustrations by Kit Grady will appeal to kids of both ages.

It's unusual to find a picture book that can reach such a wide age range of children and this is just one of several in a series that teaches about different parts of speech.