BUT WHAT DOES THE HIPPOPOTAMUS SAY?

A charming book about the sounds animals make. Simon covers a range of species, from pigs to yaks to turkeys, and while it's difficult to say how accurate her calls are (Do caribou really say ``ORRRRR''? Do giraffe's blow ``PWWWWW''?), the rhyming text is fun to read. Simon also gives young readers, or listeners, a feeling of accomplishment by including them in the ``We all know that pigs OINK, that cats MEEEOW, and horses NEIGH'' that prefaces the lesson in animal noises. She recognizes the need not to condescend but rather to boost the egos of her audience. Floate's simple, colorful illustrations of each animal standing on a green hill lend a continuity to the book. They are accurate in a primitive way, and they support the text nicely. A good book for introducing young children to a wider range of animals than the usual farm variety. (Nonfiction/Picture book. 2-6)