Boom! Bellow! Bleat! Animal Poems for Two or More Voices

Animals of many kinds describe the sounds that they make in poems intended to be read aloud by two or more readers. Frogs and toads set the record straight about the sounds they make: “I am a frog./ I am a toad./ We don’t say ribbit!/ We say.../quonk / waaa/ jug-o-rum/ beeeee/ peep.” Other animal subjects include fish, a rattlesnake (“Stay/ away;/ I’m/ warning/ you”). DeWitt’s digital collages show fine detail in the animals’ features, depicting how their physical characteristics range as widely as their sounds. The use of onomatopoeia all but guarantees a lively group reading experience, while Heard’s back matter includes engaging facts about the biodiverse subjects. Ages 5–9. [em](Mar.) [/em]