Talk, Talk, Squawk!: A Human's Guide to Animal Communication
by Nicola Davies (Author) Neal Layton (Illustrator)
How does a stinkbug flirt, a bee give orders, or a panda say "back off"? A celebrated duo is back with a guide to messaging, animal-style.
Humans aren't the only creatures who are constantly talking and transmitting messages: animals find all sorts of ways to keep in touch without saying a word. They use colors, patterns, smells, movements, vibrations, sounds, and even electricity to help them identify their own family or "team" -- not to mention find food and shelter, defend their territory, woo the proper mate, and care for their young. From the chatter of dolphins to the click of a moth, from the stripes of a reef fish to the rumbling of elephants, this funny, fascinating book unlocks the mysteries of how animals talk and squawk to one another-- and how humans try to talk back.Back matter includes an index and a glossary.
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Publishers Weekly
With their trademark inquisitive wit, Davies and Layton turn to animal communication in this companion to Just the Right Size; What's Eating You?; and other irreverent guides to the animal kingdom. While much of the material is tongue-in-cheek (baboons exchange shouts of "Wassup, cuz!" and "Hi, bro!") Davies includes plenty of factual information. Readers will learn how animals use smell, sound, electricity, and even dramatic performance to communicate--for example, a male stinkbug taps on a leaf to create vibrations that notify a female of his presence. Animal lovers should relish the surprising insights into languages we're just beginning to understand. Ages 8-up. (Nov.)
Copyright 2011 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.School Library Journal
Gr 3-6--This creative team adds to its cheeky series with this volume devoted to animal communication. Through an upbeat, conversational narrative, Davies introduces youngsters to key methods of communication (such as uniforms, smells, sounds, songs, and body language), important messages ("one of us," "danger," "keep out," "I am gorgeous," "Where are you?," etc.), why communication is important, and examples from a wide variety of animal species. In organizing her material, Davies uses headings that range from the straightforward "Long-Distance Calls" and "Where's My Baby?" to some less intuitive choices like "Simply Divine" and "Happy Families." As a result, the volume might not function quite as well as a quick reference, but the engaging prose and Layton's comical cartoons provide enough interest to tempt students and browsers into a closer reading. Layton's liberally anthropomorphized and scribbled out cartoons, which convey an active imagination and silly sense of humor, set the tone and play off the more interesting examples in the narrative. A glossary clarifies scientific terms that aren't defined in the text, and an index lists the animals and some types of signals mentioned. More detailed and lighthearted than Steve Jenkins's Slap, Squeak and Scatter (Houghton, 2001), Talk, Talk, Squawk! is entertaining and worthwhile.--Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, MI
Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
—Publishers Weekly This creative team adds to its cheeky series with this volume devoted to animal communication... Entertaining and worthwhile.
—School Library Journal
Neal Layton received distinction for his M.A. in illustration from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, in London, and has been illustrating books for children ever since. He lives in Portsmouth, England.
Human-animal communication
Animal communication
