Bow Wow! Meow! A First Book of Sounds

Seri Gajah Putih

by Melanie Bellah, Trina Schart Hyman

By Amy Trina Schart Hyman's winsome, folksy illustrations go straight to your heart. Paired with the interesting, sometimes comforting, sometimes newly discovered sounds of everyday life (well, I am not sure about the snake, unless mom or dad is a herpetologist); this book is so perfect for babies just learning onomatopoeia, and even first-time readers (can't say that enough). It covers cars, ducks, trolleys, owls, phones, clocks, dolls, the wind. The book ends on a quiet note that is calming and peaceful.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books

24 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1963

Reviews

[Luisa Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my absolute favorites as a toddler! So much so, that my mom eventually started hiding it so I couldn't ask for it to be read for the upteenth million time in one day! Her plan: she'd bring it out about once a week for a read and then it'd mysteriously disappear again. Haha.

All that to say, don't skip over books on sounds and noises. Toddlers love them, and need them too - it's an important part of their development.

Ages: 1 - 3

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trina Schart Hyman's illustrations are surprisingly in full color as this book was first published in 1963, when few children's books were in full color. Her illustrations are adorable and appealing. The text is super simple, suitable for the very young.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the books I had as a young child, inherited from my brother (his name is in it, but I vaguely remember it). Straightforward "how does the ___ go?" Followed by sound. Made me wonder if the sounds are different when this is published in other languages. Also noticed a few elements likely unfamiliar to modern children, like "how does the trolley go?" And an illustration of a rotary phone with accompanying "Ting-aling-aling." I wonder how one would write an iPhone ringtone sound.

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Little Golden Book here, and what a treasure trove of ideas are in those books, this one simple rhymes about animal noises, which we still use with young children as they tell us with glass what the animal sounds are. Fun for the young reader, or listener and fun for the adult reading it.

[Kylie Abecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have been better if the book stuck to animal sounds.

[Robert Beveridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Melanie Bellah, Bow Wow! Meow!: A First Book of Sounds (Golden Press, 1963)

This one is a bean-bean favorite at storytime. Very simple: “How does the ______ go? [sound]”. The blank is usually an animal, but not always (fire engines, wind, and laughing children, among other non-animals, are represented). Daddy isn't quite so thrilled with using “go” as the verb there, though I guess it's the most generic thing the author could have come up with; after all, a fire engine doesn't say its siren, and technically a dog doesn't saw “bow wow” either, though that would have been in line with late-fiftes/early-sixties Golden Book convention. That's a minor thing, though, and the book holds up to repeated reading otherwise; the kid loves it, and that's what's important, no? *** ½

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book as a child and my little boy loves it now!

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

my favorite

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for teaching children to pay attention to the sounds around them.

[Little Champs]

GB 54