The Rooster Says Kukariku!

Get ready for hilarious read-along fun for bedtime or anytime! What could be more fun for children than mimicking animal sounds? Mimicking strange and funny animal sounds from other languages and cultures!

Who knew that every language has its own, very different sounds for familiar animal sounds? A dog may say "bark" or "woof" in the English-speaking world, but across the globe, Russians say "gaff-gaff." In most places a chick says "peep, peep," but in Greece, they say "tsiou, tsiou," and in France, they say "cui, cui." And in America, a rooster might say "cockadoodle-doo," but almost everywhere else -- most of the world agrees -- a rooster says "KUKARIKU!"

Each culture has its own set of different onomatopoeia* for animal sounds (*words invented to mimic the sound of the thing they describe)? Each follows the unique alphabet and distinct sounds of the native language.

Some of the animal sounds will be very close to what you expect: much of the world agrees on what sound best describes each animal (mostly!).

Others will sound very odd and funny: sometimes the animal sounds around the world are surprising, hilarious and wonderful!

Some will surprise and even make much better sense, becoming instant favorites. That is why, as far as we're concerned, a rooster never says "COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO," but only "KUKARIKU!"

Invite your little ones to come along on a fun phonetic trek around the world to discover new and delightful, strange-sounding words for animal sounds that you once found familiar, but may not sound so familiar anymore-A hilarious time for young and old, to be read again and again and again.