EVERYWHERE THE COW SAYS “MOO!”

Did you know that a dog says “goo-ow goo-ow” in Spanish, that a frog says “kwah kwah” in French and that a duck says “gaa gaa” in Japanese? Colorful, appealing illustrations and straightforward, clear text highlight differences and similarities in languages here as young children are introduced to onomatopoeic animal sounds in French, Spanish, Japanese and English. Although the repeating refrain, “But everywhere, the cow says ‘Moo!’” is not strictly true—in Bengali, for example, cows say hamba—most languages do use a similar sound for the word moo, leading youngsters to see commonalities and diversity between languages and, by implication, people around the world. An offbeat but solid choice for young children who are learning about animal sounds or being introduced to the multiplicity of languages for the first time. Includes an end note that pictures the aforementioned animals and shows the synonymous animal sounds. (Picture book. 3-6)