Claire Chadwick has produced a great resource for teachers and parents with her debut picture book, So Many Sounds, which was released this month.
There are many concepts and language features to explore though the story; days of the week being the most prominent concept. The story follows a young girl through an ordinary week, which includes a barbeque at her uncle’s house, a day at kinder, a visit to the library, and a play at the park. The highlight of the week takes place on Saturday though, and Claire cleverly builds anticipation in the lead-up to Saturday.
Each day, the young girl absorbs the sounds around her. She hears the mrrr mrrr of her teacher’s computer, the wah-wump of a see-saw, and the flip flop of her thongs. But, Saturday produces the most wonderful sounds of all. Together with the follow-up resources that Claire has produced, children are encouraged to practice their listening skills.
Since reading So Many Sounds, Cam has become quite attuned to the sounds around her. When we are out and about, I find her echoing one particular sentence that repeats itself throughout the book, “so many sounds singing in my ears”.
Obviously, onomatopoeia (the sounds made by objects) is the main feature used throughout the book, but So Many Sounds is also a great resource for modeling alliteration (using the same beginning letter/sound for a string of words), adjectives, and recording dialogue.
Follow-up Activities:
The book left an impression on Cam, and she has taken a greater interest in the sounds around her. Claire has produced a variety of resources for parents and teachers. These particular activity sheets were ideal for Cam to help her further explore sounds.
We reviewed the sounds in the book:
We took a moment to listen to the sounds in our own environment and we also revisited this fun guessing game: What’s that Noise?
Book Details:
Author: Claire Chadwick
Illustrator: Trevor Salter
ISBN: 9780987550606
Format: Paperback (also available as an e-book)
Publisher: Rydell Books
Suitable for ages 2+
