Terrific STEM book that will help young readers hear sounds in a whole new way. Great for a classroom lesson on sound!

Sounds All Around: The Science of How Sound Works by Susan Hughes, illustrated by Ellen Rooney, published by Kids Can Press.

Sounds All Around is an incredibly fun and vibrant picture book about the sounds that fill our world – on land, in the sea, and in the air!

This is one I’ll be purchasing for my own teaching library because it makes non-fiction so accessible for kids – it’s a wonderful introduction to the science of sound. I think one of the greatest successes of this book is the hands-on approach that Hughes takes to exploring sound creation and hearing. While some of the facts and terminology could be a bit dense for young ones, she finds ways to get kids actually making the sounds to experience what the pages are talking about. “Try this” the book says. “..hum loudly while gently touching the sides of your neck with your fingertips. Can you feel the vibrations?”

There is a lot to explore on each page of the illustrations, too. The page about the sounds we make to communicate (yelling, an ambulance, a school bell) probably has about 20 sounds you could recreate, just from first glance! What an awesome learning tool that combines visuals and creative play. In my research, I did see a note that the explanation of decibels may make it seem like a linear measurement rather than being something that grows exponentially, however I personally think that is being picky for a book that is more of an introduction, to get kids excited to ask questions and observe the world around them.

Recommended ages 5-10. Have fun!
Thanks to Netgalley for making a digital ARC copy available.

If you want to gain base understanding of a complex topic, a kid's book is the way to go. Hughes explains the science of sound in simple, accessible terms with plenty of examples. And she doesn't stop at the very basics. We learn about frequencies and wavelengths, different uses for sound, and more. A book that will grow with a child.

A great introduction to sound for slightly older children, or for younger readers with adult guidance. The included activity guide is always helpful as well!

Such a cool book that is great for all ages to understand sound scientifically. Loved the way it started and end. The activities during the story were a nice touch and the build a bee sound was even cooler

This was my favorite book so far this spring. A book that transforms even a grown-up is a good book. A lot of solid information is presented in a clear and easy way for even young listeners. Charts support the information a reader learns during the book. This would make a good circle time book or even a first research book for young scientists.

A must-have for libraries of all sizes. Sometimes the best books are the simplest books.

Thanks to Kids Can Press + NetGalley for the advance copy of "Sounds All Around" by Susan Hughes, illustrated by Ellen Rooney.

Truly, good nonfiction picture books are some of my absolute favorites (and same goes for so many children and families I work with).
The science of how sounds are made, travel, and what they mean is so perfectly incorporated into "Sounds All Around" (including easy to do experiments). This is a perfect introduction (and includes higher level knowledge) that you won't mind reading over and over again.

This was a really fun book about how sound works and it has some brilliant illustrations.

The book was easy to follow, it was a fun way of learning, fun to get involved with and thoroughly enjoyable!

It is 5 stars from me for this one – very highly recommended!!

Sounds All Around by Susan Hughes is a terrific educational book about how sound works. It provides a comprehensive explanation while keeping everything on a child’s level. This book would be perfect for elementary science teachers to help when teaching sound. I definitely plan to purchase this book and use when we teach the sound unit in science.

Loved this book! The artwork is gorgeous- sweet, tender and very child-friendly. The writing is imaginative and well-thought through, going from more concrete, familiar concepts to more abstract ones to help children understand how sounds are made and their functions in nature and human society. The explanations are very accessible and easy to follow. I liked the protagonists of the book - a little boy who loves discovering the world and his faithful dog, who appears to be as curious as the boy.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for the reviewcopy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Through gorgeous illustrations and the help of the cute pup in the book, young readers can learn how sounds are created, how we hear them and overall, get a deeper understanding of how one of our most important senses works.

The book is filled with beautiful examples of animals who hear differently, and each illustration is accompanied by an explanation about how (bats, elephants, hippos and whales) hear.

The useful charts and tables will help little readers put things into perspective.

Extras:
- Instructions on how to make a bee buzzer (great idea for craft time)
- Words to know (conveniently located at the end of the book to solidify what was learned throughout the book).

Loved it! Perfect for curious, little minds!

"Don't judge a book by its cover" That what I got when eyeing this book. I thought this is a book for kids. But WOW! Kids will really learn a lot of things by reading this book.

Why you see the lightning before hearing the thunder? How the sound happens? Even which being can hear the most decibels.

This is a fun read for the younger ones, but also a good book to keep, for their science knowledge later on.

A beautiful and such a useful book. It’s fabulous and so handy for use in the junior classes. I loved it.

Amazing compilation and illustration combination I would say!

Love the way the writing is fun to read out loud. The reading gets more active as the writing seems to be more active and accurate when it comes to teaching the young readers about the actual sounds and different objects associated with such sounds.

Love the artstyle. Such a fun, colourful and educational read. Well done.

Thanks, authors and the publisher for the advance reading copy.

For the curious minded children and parents that encourage the same children to know the world around them. In story like form, we are introduced to a sound of a bee and from there all other sounds. What makes sound and how is it made? You will learn new words like pitch, sound wave, vibration and many more. With colorful illustrations and even comparative graphs, there is visualized learning and on hands learning. So much to appreciate. Makes learning fun!

A special thank you to Kids Can Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

There are so many sounds around us! We hardly register them but this lovely book makes us stop and take notice.

It was a bit advanced for my 3-year-old, but my own inner child enjoyed it immensely. Plus, the illustrations are beautiful.

Thanks to Netgalley for the temporary ARC.

Sounds All Around combines lively, fun-to-read text, expressive and bright illustrations, and clear scientific explanations to create a book sure to delight and inform kids interested in how sounds happen - and how many there are all around us. Though the book will probably be a bit beyond many younger readers, I could easily imagine reading it with my highly inquisitive six-year-old nephew, clapping our hands or drumming on things to make noise and trying out the experiment provided at the end of this fun book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for the advance review copy!

This book had the best illustrations!!! It shows a boy walking around where he lives and also around the neighborhood. Not only does he talks about all the little sounds, but they tell you how the sound is made. This would be a great book for a classroom read about sounds.

This book explores all types of sounds. Sounds that are made naturally and those that are made to communicate. It tells how you hear sounds and give a basic definition of sound waves. This would be a great book for any five senses unit. I enjoyed the ideas it gives throughout the book on different sounds to try out. It also has instructions for a bee buzzer you can make. A really great book for introducing the science of sound to elementary age kids!

Review to come April 23rd on Blog and Goodreads.

I received this book from Netgalley/publisher in exchange of an honest review.

I was very curious about this book. Sounds? What kind of sounds would we see around us in this book? 

This was quite a fun book about sounds and what they mean and what kind of sounds you have. Like you have natural sounds/sounds that happen naturally. Like a cat purring, or sneezing (thinking of sneezing doesn't make me happy as my nose has been annoying me all day and night). Then there are sounds to communicate. Like an ambulance siren letting you know that there is an ambulance on its way. Or your alarm clock (annoying little thing) letting you know it is morning again. We learn how sound happens and also other things, and also get fun exercises along with it which made me happy. I always love it when there are exercises as experiencing something is different than just reading about it.

There is tons more information on sounds! I didn't really learn anything new, but that is OK, I enjoyed myself! Plus, I liked the writing style.

I loved that in the illustrations, which are of course silent, you could still see where the sounds came from. I also like the rest of the illustrations that were dotted through the book. The style is really fun and playful.

All in all, I think this book is perfect for kids to learn about sounds.