Listen to Our World

Bill Martin, Jr. (1916–2004) has been called “America’s favorite children’s author.” He wrote more than 300 books for children, including the classic texts Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, illustrated by Eric Carle, and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, illustrated by Lois Ehlert.Michael Sampson is a New York Times bestselling author of twenty-two books for young children, including Chicka Chicka 1, 2, 3 and The Bill Martin Jr Big Book of Poetry. He and Bill Martin Jr wrote many popular books together, including Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? and Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? Michael Sampson lives in Flagstaff, Arizona.Melissa Sweet has illustrated more than eighty children’s books, including the Caldecott Honor books The Right Word and A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams both written by Jen Bryant. She also wrote and illustrated Tupelo Rides the Rails; Carmine: A Little More Red, which was a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book; and Balloons Over Broadway, a picture book biography that was named a 2011 Publishers Weekly Best Nonfiction Picture Book. When she is not in her studio, Melissa can be found taking an art class, hiking with her dogs, or riding her bicycle. She lives with her family in Rockport, Maine.

Readers of all ages will be charmed by the warmth of Melissa Sweet’s illustrations in this celebration of our world. The illustrations pulsate with greens and blues, laid out in mostly horizontal double-page spreads, though they occasionally require the book to be flipped sideways, the spreads shooting up vertically (appropriate for the large cactus surrounded by gila monsters). Giant pandas, too, climb a vertical spread, before the long, snapping crocodile turns the book horizontal once again. Martin and Sampson’s spare text emphasizes the sounds each of these lively creatures make: the lion ROARS, of course, but the eagle weee-aaas! Each sound is repeated several times, allowing plenty of opportunity for mimicry, and the environment of each creature is also acknowledged. The book opens with Mommy's wake-up kisses ("Good morning, little one. Can you hear the sounds of our world?") and ultimately comesfull circle, ending back at home with good-night kisses and the hope for sweet dreams. End notes include the habitat for each creature mentioned and a short, interesting fact. There is so much of interest here that lucky listeners will want to experience it again and again before sleep. Pair with Mary Logue's Sleep Like a Tiger (2012) for another bedtime book connected to the animal world.