How to Chat Chicken, Gossip Gorilla, Babble Bee, Gab Gecko and Talk in 66 Other Animal Languages
Age 5+
Wildlife
It’s time to walk on the wild side and talk with the animals. This book will teach you not just how to chat chicken but also gossip with gorillas, mumble with meerkats and warble with whales. You’ll be ready for any adventure into the animal kingdom.
It’s a noisy world out there. Almost eight billion people are saying hello, asking for directions, buying food, singing lullabies, paying compliments, and all in their own languages – of which there are six or seven thousand! And that’s just humans… animals have millions of languages!
Insects, birds, reptiles, mammals and amphibians are all talking to each other too, with grunts, squeaks and tweets, as part of the natural orchestra that is Life on Earth. Some of those noises can sound scary, others sweet… wouldn’t it be nice to be able to understand what they were all trying to say?
Author Dr Nick Crumpton acts as our translator and guide through the animal kingdom in this fun, and funny, book. He teaches us what our pet dog’s bark means and how an orangutan says ‘Hello!’ Whuuu-whuuu-whuuu (just in case you ever need it!). Each sound has been researched using recordings and information from scientists in the field. This book will teach you not just how to chat chicken but also gossip with gorillas, mumble with meerkats and warble with whales. You’ll be ready for any adventure into the animal kingdom.
Creators
Nick Crumpton is a children’s writer and zoologist. He wrote his first book for children whilst completing his PhD in zoology at the University of Cambridge, and his second when working at the BBC Natural History Unit and the Natural History Museum, London. Although a research scientist by training, he is most passionate about the communication of science and sharing the secrets of the natural world through public engagement. He lives in a tumbling down house in North London with his partner and young daughter.
Adrienne Barman illustrates from her home in Switzerland. She has published about thirty books and comics and her book Creaturepedia has been translated into 18 languages, and also won the Swiss Youth and Media Prize 2015. Bright colours, the animal world and quirky nature are at the heart of Adrienne’s drawings.
Reviews
Vibrant artwork brings the book to life, superbly capturing the eccentricities of an assortment of insects, birds, reptiles and mammals. A contents page and index help readers to navigate directly to specific creatures of interest, while a comprehensive glossary explains any unfamiliar terminology. At the end is a section about how and why zoologists study animal behaviour, including their quest to answer bigger questions, such as how human noise pollution may affect animal communication. A joyful reference book which will delight, entertain and inform in equal measure.
BookTrust
Author Dr Nick Crumpton acts as our translator and guide through the animal kingdom in this fun and funny book. He teaches us what our pet dog’s bark means and how an orangutan says ‘Hello!’ (Whuuu-whuuu-whuuu just in case you ever need it!). Each sound has been researched using recordings and information from scientists in the field. This book will teach you not just how to chat chicken but also gossip with gorillas, mumble with meerkats and warble with whales. You’ll be ready for any adventure into the animal kingdom.
MyBaba
Highly recommended, especially for kids who love short, informational reading
Imagination Soup
66 animals are featured with clear informative text accompanied by vivid color illustrations and humorous asides. This is a fun book to read and may soon have children speaking “fluent” chimpanzee.
Puget Sound Council for Reviewing Children's and Young Adult Literature
