Folk Art Animal Sounds

Artwork by Barry Colpitts

Words by Carol McDougall and Shanda LaRamee-Jones

Nimbus Publishing

978-1-77471-334-1

26 pp.

Ages 0-2

October 2024

 

Like their earlier board books Maud Lewis 1 2 3 and Maud Lewis Colours, authors Carol McDougall and Shanda LaRamee-Jones base their concept books on the art of the East Coast, bringing culture and colour to teaching numbers, colours or, as here, animal sounds. This time the illustrations are the art of Nova Scotian folk artist and carver Barry Colpitts.

From Folk Art Animal Sounds, artwork by Barry Colpitts, text by Carol McDougall and Shanda LaRamee-Jones

Thirteen animals are depicted in simple double-spreads that focus on a carving, the animal's name, and the sound it makes. The animals include the rooster, pig, fox, goose, cat, fish, eagle, cheetah, sheep, peacock, bear, dog, and whale. While the text is rudimentary–it is a concept book–there are a few less familiar sounds like those for the fox, peacock, and whale. And though the sounds themselves are depicted in large and boldly coloured letters, the stars of the book are the folk carvings of Barry Colpitts.

From Folk Art Animal Sounds, artwork by Barry Colpitts, text by Carol McDougall and Shanda LaRamee-Jones

Barry Colpitts's sculptures are joyous in their colours and shapes. The animals are easily recognizable and adorably cute, especially when he adds secondary animals to their backs. For example, the dalmatian has a cat on its back which in turn has a bird on its back. Barry Colpitts keeps the colours of the animals both realistic and fanciful, helping young children to both recognize the creatures and be amused by them.

From Folk Art Animal Sounds, artwork by Barry Colpitts, text by Carol McDougall and Shanda LaRamee-Jones

Folk Art Animal Sounds is a unique concept book, teaching young children the sounds that animals make. The text is simple and will be easily repeated and then read by preschoolers.  But, beyond the animal sounds, Folk Art Animal Sounds builds on the folk art collection of Barry Colpitts and exposes very young kids to a traditional art form. The book is as beautiful as any coffee table book about art, and I suspect art lovers will enjoy it as much as the children learning the utterances of familiar animals.

Turtle Pond

Written by James Gladstone

Illustrated by Karen Reczuch

Groundwood Books

978-1-55498-910-2

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

May 2018

Through the year, a young child and his family visit a conservatory of a local public garden to watch the many turtles who inhabit a man-made pond within. The boy is an ardent observer and young aesthete of the Red-eared Sliders as they interact with their environment and each other. From the playful activity of the young in spring to summers of basking and the later seasons with their own behaviours, Turtle Pond takes young readers on a scientific pilgrimage of observation and appreciation.

Slowly,
their mouths are moving.
Are turtles speaking?
We try to hear them,
the sounds they're making at turtle pond.

From Turtle Pond by James Gladstone, illus. by Karen Reczuch

There is swimming and feeding, resting and playing, all told in James Gladstone's five-line stanzas which always end with the words "turtle pond." The text may appear simple in its form but it is telling in its information and awareness. There is inquisitiveness and thought with appreciation and acceptance.

Gliding

under fat goldfish,

it swims up around them

in turtle circles,

poking at tail fins in turtle pond.

From Turtle Pond by James Gladstone, illus. by Karen Reczuch

But the story is only half-told without Karen Reczuch's realistic illustrations. I have always thought of Karen Reczuch as the Robert Bateman of children's book illustration because of her detailed depictions of the natural world. (Her award-winning Loon by Susan Vande Griek is a prime example.) But that moniker does a disservice to her art which goes far beyond natural settings and animals. (Check out her illustrations in Ainslie Manson's Just Like New and David Booth's The Dust Bowl.) It is her eye to detail and evocative imagery that takes the reader to her settings, here to watch the turtles in their lush environs of orchids, bromeliads and aquatics, in which the people are but tertiary.

From Turtle Pond by James Gladstone, illus. by Karen Reczuch

With its subtle verse and luxuriant illustrations, Turtle Pond would be a great teaching tool for poetry, science, and inquiry. It's a virtual field trip when a visit to a turtle pond is called for but impossible to arrange.

Animals Do, Too!: How They Behave Just Like You

Written by Etta Kaner

Illustrated by Marilyn Faucher

Kids Can Press

978-1-77138-569-5

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

May 2017

Though Animals Do, Too! is non-fiction book with a mandate to teach young children about animal behaviour, the book takes a light-hearted approach which leans towards picture book rather than teaching text.  In a series of questions, young readers are asked about fun activities in which they like to engage: dancing, playing tag, playing leapfrog, blowing bubbles, growing food, getting piggyback rides, and being babysat.  For each activity, there is a detailed double-spread asking the question and demonstrating kids partaking.  Then, a double-spread illustration answers the question with an example from the animal kingdom and a single paragraph of text provides the details.  It becomes evident that, if kids like doing those things, Animals Do, Too!

From Animals Do, Too! 

by Etta Kaner 

illus. by Marilyn Faucher

The animals depicted cover the range from mammals to insects, birds and amphibians. Etta Kaner shares the honey-bee dance, gazelles chasing each other to build strength and speed, cattle egrets jumping over each other to grab insects, gray tree frogs who make bubble nests, leaf-cutter ants who grow fungi, marmosets who carry their young piggyback-style and flamingos who babysit.  And though Animals Do, Too! is a concept book and not a story book, Marilyn Faucher's artwork is elaborate and vivid, going beyond children just dancing or playing tag.  For each, her illustration tells a story about the humans, like a party in full swing, with yummy cake and cookies, or the animals in their habitats as part of social communities.  Her art is dynamic and her colours are deep, creating rich scenes, both familiar and not.

From Animals Do, Too! 

by Etta Kaner 

illus. by Marilyn Faucher

Animals Do, Too! is a great introductory animal behaviour book for very young children.  It goes beyond identifying animals and provides a taste for learning about animals without the boring details that their older children might appreciate.  The repetitive queries and responses will help in the reading of the book and make for an entertaining read, though a competent reader like mom or dad or big sister or brother will need to ensure the details are fully clarified.

From Animals Do, Too! 

by Etta Kaner 

illus. by Marilyn Faucher

Don't

by Lisa Trochatos

Illustrated by Virginia Johnson

Groundwood Books

978-1-55498-355-1

22 pp.

Ages 0-3

October, 2014

Do read Don't. Enjoy that intimate one-on-one time with your child as you share unusual animal behaviours courtesy of Lisa Trochatos' succinct two-part declarations, and Virginia Johnson's quirky watercolours, from the cheetah driving a car with vanity plates "Faster" through a lush jungle to the closing illustration of all the animals' backsides.

Do let your youngest turn the heavy pages to discover how each humourous scenario will play out.  Do let your child discover why you shouldn't let the cheetah drive your car or the penguin fly the plane. Do let him laugh at the chameleon camouflaged in the brocade chair or at the child trying to wake the bear who is asleep in her bed. Then enjoy the pointing and the laughter and the quality chat you'll have discussing how bears hibernate or penguins can't fly or why pigs wallow. Wow, you've got lots to do.

So don't forget to read Don't. It's a charming read for the very young.