Sounds All Around

A comprehensive exploration of sound for young children that's friendly, fun and easy to digest.

From a cat's purr to a thunderstorm's clap, from a friend's voice to a school bell's clang, sounds can lull us, entice us or call us to action. But how does sound happen? How do we hear it? What makes some sounds loud and some soft? Some high pitched and some low pitched? How do humans and animals use sound to communicate? Which sounds happen naturally, and which are created for a specific purpose? This charming picture book explores all of these questions in child-friendly language, offering readers a gentle introduction to how sound works that will encourage them to stop and listen.

In this highly original book, Susan Hughes uses appealing and inviting text that speaks directly to young children to explain the physics of sound. From describing how sounds are made by the vibrations of air, to identifying and considering the different sources of sound and its properties (pitch, tone, volume), this book is an excellent curriculum-based tool for physical science that strongly supports the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for kindergarten and first grade. Ellen Rooney's sweet, playful illustrations colourfully illuminate the concepts, incorporating the same character and his dog on every spread. Easy-to-understand decibel and hertz charts are included. There is also a fun activity and a glossary.

About the Author

Susan Hughes an award-winning author, whose books for children include Case Closed?, No Girls Allowed, Earth to Audrey and Maggie McGillicuddy's Eye for Trouble. Susan lives in Toronto, Ontario.

About the Illustrator

Ellen Rooney is an illustrator, designer and artist. She's originally from Massachusetts, but now lives in the southern Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. She loves graphic shapes, textured colour, printmaking, drawing outdoors, painting - and her hidden art powers are released when cutting up paper!