Whoosh went the curtain. Hush went the crowd. The Duke Ellington orchestra takes the stage. As the band plays on and the crowd roars, you’ll find that onomatopoeic words are as fun on the tongue as they are on the ears!

Have you ever heard the howl of the wind, or watched a leaf flutter to the ground in fascination? Why does the wind sound like a sad dog? Why is it taking that leaf so long to fall? An early reader series that features complex ideas like gravity, Cubism, metaphor, and hyperbole, the What’s the Big Idea series explains big concepts in a simple and relatable way. From a Hum to a Howl introduces you to one of America’s most innovative composers and musicians and to the beauty and power of language.