The Listening Walk by Paul Showers
A young girl goes on a walk with her dad and her dog, Major. She calls it a Listening Walk and talks about all the sounds she hears. She says, “On a Listening Walk I do not talk. I listen to all the different sounds. I hear many different sounds when I do not talk.” It’s a perfect activity for little ones, too, who can go on their own Listening Walk. For ages 3-7.
Oscar and the Bat: A Book About Sound by Geoff Waring
This book weaves concepts about sound with a cute story about Oscar the Cat and a knowledgeable bat. The concepts are basic such as sound can be silent or loud, high or low/deep, and sounds can move.
I like this book because it’s first and foremost just a story with adorable illustrations (I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for cats) but it’s still a science book. It’d be a great for story time but with a lot of ideas to talk about sound and science after. The last couple pages have a lot of discussion ideas, too. For ages 4-8.
The Noisy Clock Shop by Jean Horton Berg
This book was written in 1950 but the story and colorful illustrations still hold up today. Mr. Winky owns a clock shop which he leaves to seek out some quiet. No matter where he goes, there’s lots of sounds! This book is great for environmental sounds and learning to put words to all of the sounds around us.
Loud and Quiet: An Animal Opposites Book by Lisa Bullard
This has vibrant photos of animals and talks about how loud or quiet each animal is. Some animals aren’t common like “knife fish” or “wood storks.” The book is for ages 4-8.
Ears Are For Hearing by Paul Showers
This book explains the parts of the ear and how sound and hearing works. It uses simple language and fun illustrations to explain concepts and anatomy. It covers the science but also relates to kids in a way they can understand like, “If any sound hurts your ears – like the screech of a police-car siren or fire engine passing by – don’t be embarrassed to put your hands over your ears.”
Sounds All Around by Wendy Pfeffer
This is from the “Let’s Read and Find Out” series (stage 1). It covers a lot of topics like how sound waves travel, how to measure sounds, and how people use sound to communicate messages. There’s activities and ideas for further learning.
Decibella and her 6-Inch Voice by Julia Cook
Decibella loves to use her voice but her loudness gets her in trouble. Her teacher shows her five voices: Whisper, 6-inch, Table Talk, Strong Speaker, and Outside. I like this book because it teaches listening and analysis of what you hear. It’s also demonstrating loud and quiet and learning to control of the voice. You could even use the book as an introduction to Decibels, which is the measured level of sound. For ages 5-10.