What the Baby Hears

From puppies and kittens to kangaroos and frogs, here is a wonderful way to introduce young children to animals and the sounds they make. Laura Godwin's rhyming, interactive text is beautifully coupled with Mary Morgan's sweet illustrations of parents and babies.

reSchool-Attractive spreads and a rhyming text introduce a variety of animal babies and their parents as well as the sounds they make. For example, "What the bear cub hears- Grrr, grrr, grrr What the kitten hears- Purr, purr, purr." The language is simple and repetitive, and the rhythm of the verses remains consistent, allowing young listeners to follow along easily. Many of the sounds are not vocalized, as a horse "nuzzles" its colt, a kid "guzzles" milk from its mother, and a joey takes a ride in a kangaroo pouch ("Boink, boink, boink"). The final spread reads, "What the baby hears- I love you," and shows four small children dancing around a man playing a guitar, marking an unexpected and slightly incongruous departure from the parent-child theme. Done in watercolors and colored pencils, the illustrations use warm hues, rounded shapes, and soft lines to create a cozy mood. All of the animals look content and many seem to be smiling. The large, uncluttered pictures and catchy sound effects make this a natural choice for group sharing.
Joy Fleishhacker, formerly at School Library Journal
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

"What the puppy hears Lick, lick, lick What the beetle hears click, click, click." Godwin's (Central Park Serenade, reviewed below) rhythmic, comforting chant explores the parent-child bond across familiar species. Rendered in watercolor and colored pencil, Morgan's (the Rosie series) sunlit full-bleed illustrations depict the grown animals and their offspring in loving poses. While she anthropomorphizes her subjects somewhat, her careful attention to detail gives the audience a good sense of the physical differences between younger and older animals. For example, a joey is tucked inside its mother's pouch as she bounds across the savanna. Elsewhere, an eye-level view presents tadpoles swimming underwater as the mother frog peeks above the surface of a pond. The final spread shows four toddlers bouncing at the knee of their guitar-playing caregiver: "What the baby hears I love you!" The slightly undersize format (8Ù" 8Ù"), the up-close perspectives and the attractively laid out, large font all help invite readers into the book. Ages 2-5.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Ages 2-4. In this sweet book about the sounds baby animals hear from their parents, minimal, rhyming text and cozy illustrations make for a delightful interactive experience. Some sounds are very soft--the colt hears nuzzle, nuzzle; the puppy hears lick, lick; the beetle hears click, click. Children may even learn an unfamiliar term or two (joey or owlet). They'll also be pleasantly soothed by the ending: human babies hear "I love you!" The book is right on the mark--cheerful artwork and an unusual roundup of sounds that will have children chiming right in. Shelley Townsend-Hudson
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