Sounds All Around: A Guide to Onomatopoeias Around the World – written and illustrated by Dr. James Chapman, Andrews McMeel Publishing, 9781524850760, 2020
Format: Paperback
Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 3
What did you like about the book? The book is well laid out with sounds of onomatopoeias organized by category, and the illustrations are colorful and inviting. All sounds from around the world are presented in a comic-like speech bubble fashion. The author provides detailed preface pages that explain onomatopoeia and its linguistic nuances in an accessible and easy to understand way.
Anything you didn’t like about it? While the premise of the text is interesting, I am hard-pressed to imagine who would be interested enough to pursue the book with heightened engagement. I found myself drifting and flipping quickly once I was a few pages in. Younger children may enjoy looking at the illustrations, however, the linguistic subtleties will likely be lost. Older readers will likely tire of the text quickly unless they have a particular interest in linguistics and onomatopoeia in particular.
To whom would you recommend this book? Linguistics buffs or educators who wish to teach onomatopoeia in a very detailed way.
Who should buy this book? I would not recommend using funds to purchase this text unless one is deeply interested in onomatopoeia.
Where would you shelve it? J 401.41
Should we (librarians/readers) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? No
Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City and State: Linda Broderick, Lincoln Street Elementary School, Northboro, MA
Date of review: 11/21/2020
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