Richie’s Picks: WHO MEOWS? A BOOK OF ANIMAL SOUNDS
Richie Partington
Richie’s Picks: WHO MEOWS? A BOOK OF ANIMAL SOUNDS by Robin Page, Simon & Schuster/Beach Lane, May 2025, 32p., ISBN: 978-1-6659-5956-8
“Horse went NEIGH!
Cow went MOO!
Sheep went BAA!
Dog went BOO!
Goose went QUACK!
Duck went SPLISHY-SPLASHY!
Hen went CHIPSY-CHOPSY!
Cat went FIDDLE-I-FEE! FIDDLE-I-FEE!”
–from the version of the traditional folksong that I was taught in my 1988 Early Childhood Education Music and Movement class, and which I subsequently taught to a generation of preschoolers.
“Who meows?”
[page turn to a spread with a full-page in-your-face cat face]
“A cat meows.
Who gobbles?”
[full-page in-your-face turkey face]
“A turkey gobbles.
Who croaks?”
[full-page in-your-face frog face]...
The husband-and-wife team of Steve Jenkins and Robin Page have created a good number of memorable nonfiction picture books about critters past and present, large and small. They include APEX PREDATORS: TOP KILLERS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT; DOWN, DOWN, DOWN: A JOURNEY TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA; and the wonderful Caldecott Honor book, WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A TALE LIKE THIS? Thanks to the high-quality information contained in these books, coupled with Page’s award-winning artwork, I consider them picture books for older readers (certainly up through third or fourth grades)..
WHO MEOWS? is perfect for a younger audience. Here, artist Robin Page has crafted a picture book with a predictable call-and-response sequencing that is matched with truly awesome facial depictions of owls and cows and crows and mice and (“Who giggles?”) a great image of a giggling young rug rat.
WHO MEOWS? takes me back, half a lifetime ago, to the child development center where I was then spending my days setting up free-choice activity centers and leading daily morning and afternoon circle times. WHO MEOWS? is one of those books that early childhood educators leading circle times can employ a couple of times a month forever and ever.
You read them the prompt: “Who meows?”
You get them to all call out the answer. “CATS!”
You then encourage them [with a hand cupped to your ear] to get them to all get their meows out for a few moments. Then you move on to the next prompt.
These exciting interactive circle time readings can readily be reinforced with free-time opportunities for the young students to craft animal masks, paint animal pictures, bring in photos to share of their pets or neighborhood critters; and engage in related dramatic play.
And you can get them singing great animal songs like Fiddle-I-Fee.
I ain’t just quacking, folks. You definitely need to see these awesome creature faces!
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com