LS 5603 Slap, Squeak, & Scatter

Jenkins, Steve. Slap, Squeak, & Scatter: How Animals Communicate. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001.

ISBN: 0-618-03376-9

Do you slap the water with your tail to warn others of danger? Do you rub your legs together to make sounds to communicate with others? Do you have a glowing spot on your face that helps you to talk with others? Do you rub you cheek on your possessions leaving a scent that signifies ownership? These are the ways that a beaver, a grasshopper, a flashlight fish, and a cat speak with others in their species. Many different species and their way of communicating are written about in this collection of facts about how animals speak with each other.

In this book full of interesting facts, it seems no one representative of the Animal Kingdom’s myriad species is forgotten in the text. The book is beautifully illustrated by the author with what seems to be torn-paper collages. Slap, Squeak, & Scatter seems like a great starting point to get children interested in different animal species and have them graduate to a single-subject book on their favorite animal they learned about in the book. I know I learned a few interesting things from it!

The May 2001 issue of the School Library Journal states “The brief, well-organized text is easy to read. Illustrations are appealing, with some more successful in depicting the act of communication: deer flashing the white fur on the underside of their tails to signal danger, boobies performing a mating dance, cowering wolves, etc.” Children who wish to read further on the subject may want to pick up Bees Dance and Whales Sing: The Mysteries of Animal Communication by Margery Facklam or Animal Talk: How Animals Communicate through Sight, Sound, and Smell by Etta Kaner.