Children’s book reveals how animals speak

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This book, with its playful illustrations, will truly have you wishing that you could talk to the animals.

BY TRACY GRANT | THE WASHINGTON POST

“Talk, Talk, Squawk! A Human’s Guide to Animal Communication.” By Nicola Davies. Illustrated by Neal Layton. Age 8 and older.

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Humans communicate with one another through language, gestures, actions and sounds. Would it surprise you to know that animals communicate in very similar ways? This fun and fascinating book is written by Nicola Davies, a zoologist who has also written books about other subjects kids find fascinating: sharks and poop.

Among the amazing facts you’ll discover about animal communication:

c Some animals have uniforms. Just as school uniforms can help you recognize your classmates, the bright coloring on fish allows them to recognize fish of their own species.

c Baby crocodiles start to call “umph, umph” when they’re still in their shells as a way to signal to their mom that they’re ready to be born.

c Pandas do handstands next to trees to mark their territory. Other animals see how far up the tree the panda claws scratch and say to themselves, “Oh, that’s a big one; we should stay away.”

This book, with its playful illustrations, will truly have you wishing that you could talk to the animals.