Isabella, Jude,
and Kathy Boake. Chitchat : celebrating the
world's languages. Toronto, ON Tonawanda, NY: Kids Can Press, 2013.
Print.
ISBN: 9781554537877
Audience: Ages 8-12, Grade 3-6
Summary This book explains language and its
evolution. It talks about all kinds of
language from spoken to written to sign.
Organized by category (“How Languages Morph, “Slanguistics,” “Language
Extinction,” etc.), it has a conversational tone and includes with text boxes
adding additional insights, short quizzes, and information about each topic.
Strengths: The book includes colorful
computer generated illustrations that make the subject more accessible. An
index and glossary (and answers to the quizzes) are included. It would be a
high interest book for advanced readers, and the Trekkies in the crowd might be
drawn in by the inclusion of Invented
Languages.
Weaknesses:
There is no Table of Contents so
a casual browser would not be able to get an idea of what is included in the
book. The title would lead one to think that it would be about different
languages (English, French, Spanish, etc), but they are really only touched on
briefly in the section on Language Families.
Uses: Using this book as a read aloud would be a
highly motivating way for a teacher to introduce language topics, such as
syntax or phonics. This would be an
interesting book to use to jumpstart a research project (CCSS ELA: W.7 Grades
K-6) , especially one including technology like graphics and sound (CCSS ELA: SL.5 Grades 4-6).
Read-alikes:
·
Handsigns – Kathleen
Fain (An alphabet book using animals and American Sign Language)
·
Eats, Shoots,
and Leaves – Lynne
Truss (Humorous instruction about the importance of comma placement)
·
Wonderful Houses Around the World -Yoshio Komatsu. (Typical houses from other
countries)
·
Same, Same But
Different - Jenny
Sue Kostecki-Shaw (A boy and his pen pal from India discover their similarities
and differences
·
International
Children’s Library (website)- http://www.childrenslibrary.org/icdl
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