Terry Catasús Jennings
Kirkus Reviews - June 2015
"The nicely rounded narrative begins and ends with the lion family. Activities and sounds of wildebeests, elephants, vervet monkeys, baboons, zebras, spiny mice, and yellow-winged bats are described in a simple text. Also pictured and mentioned in the backmatter are a python and a milky eagle owl. The animals are clearly identifiable in the illustrations (produced digitally with watercolor embellishment), which also reveal the progression of the day, from dawn through nightfall, spread by spread...The variety of sound words used will please teachers, as will the four pages of backmatter, which include additional explanations, hands-on activities, and a predator/prey quiz. A Spanish-language version is also available."
"This curious but intriguing pairing of science fields from the publishers of Darcy Pattison and Kathleen Rietz's Prairie Storms (2011) and Desert Baths (2012) will be equally welcomed in libraries and classroom collections. (Informational picture book. 5-9"
NSTA Recommends - November 2015
"Can you hear that? It's the book, Sounds of the Savanna.This informational book provides readers with a glimpse at many of the animals living and communicating on the Savanna plains. The beautiful illustrations jump off the pages and the large bold print makes it easier for those new readers to enjoy. The book contains many facts about these African animals and would be an excellent addition to any classroom."
Sounds of the Savanna even includes 4 activity pages that students can use to learn more about sounds that animals make and even create their own animal rumbles. There are additional online resources that go along with the book to make it a truly interactive experience. Teachers and students are in for a wild ride while learning more about baboons, elephants, lions, owls, spiny mice, bats, zebras, monkeys, and wildebeest in this exciting book.
Review posted on 11/17/2015
Horn Book Guide - April 2016
From a lion's roar at dawn to the terrified shriek of a captured baby baboon at noon to the high-pitched sounds of bats hunting at night, the savanna is brought to life through evocative descriptions of a day's animal sounds...
Sounds of the Savanna by Terry Catasús Jennings (Nonfiction)
This book explores the way animals communicate on the African Savannah. Each page is written with lyrical language and reads as a small snapshot of setting. Includes additional nonfiction information about sound waves, sound experiments, etc. at the end.
KEYSTONE TO READING ELEMENTARY BOOK AWARD LISTS
2016-2017
From elephants trumpeting and rumbling to baboons shrieking and grunting, the animals of the savanna communicate through many different sounds. Detailed digital and oil illustrations. (7–9)
Bank Street Center For Children's Literature
The Best Children's Book of the Year, 2016
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