Did you know that animals make different sounds in other languages? When we lived overseas, for example, the children didn't say, "Ribbit, ribbit," to sound like a frog. They said, "Gurak, gurak." Don't you think that sounds more accurate? That's one I'm keeping in my lexicon.
In Peek! A Thai Hide and Seek, by Minfong Ho and illustrated by Holly Meade, we learn a great number of Thai animal sounds. The dog says, "Hruu, hruu." The monkey says, "Jiak-jiak."
In this tale a father is looking for his little girl, who is hiding. Everywhere he looks he finds a new animal and sings a song to that animal, asking where his little girl is.
Jut-Ay, peek-a-boo,
Oh, elephant, so it's you!
Lift the flap of your floppy ear.
Is my baby hiding there?
The father of course knows that his daughter is hiding nearby, listening and watching (something my brother apparently did when he was little). You may search for her on each page.
Finally the father says he's tired of searching for his little girl.
Jut-Ay, Papa, peek-a-boo!
Here I am. I found you.
I'm guessing this book was made in the U.S., but I think this would be a good time to mention an organization that works in many countries, supporting the production and translation of children's books. IBBY, the International Board on Books for Young People, has a lot of information about international children's books. You can find them at www.ibby.org.
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