BIRDS

Some birds and their names in several different languages are presented in this multilingual board book.

Attractive paper collages set against a plain cream background represent 15 different familiar birds. Among them are a turkey, a dove, a pheasant, an owl, an ostrich, a kiwi, and a hummingbird. Surrounding each bird are the names given to it in each of seven languages, printed in small type or script: English, Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, French, Arabic, and Esperanto. Each language is assigned a color and a number from one to seven so readers know as they look at the words what language it is. For the three languages that do not use the Roman alphabet—Chinese, Hindi, and Arabic—the word has also been transcribed. Companion volume Ocean Animals is similar in presentation. In this case, the collage artwork represents 15 different animals that live in the ocean. Among them are a seahorse, a sperm whale, a sea lion, a starfish, a jellyfish, and a manta ray. The names for each are given in the same seven languages. Readers’ curiosity may be sparked to look for the similarities or differences across the different languages, or they may be prompted to find out how to pronounce the words, as a pronunciation key is not provided. The illustrations are the stars, assembled from found, often printed papers in a variety of colors that have been cut and layered to create arresting images.

Lovely.