The cow says moo. That you know of.

Recently, my daughter asked why a friend's two year-old brother couldn't "act like a cow" without saying moo. I explained that animal sounds are the first way that children start to understand how to define animals. And that's why every baby's first library isn't complete without at least 17 books on animal sounds.

(She bought it, but she still asserted he was cheating at charades.)

Well now there's an all new book about animal sounds worth adding to the bookshelf, written by a very cool mom herself. In her past life, Angela DiTerlizzi was a makeup artist responsible for the faces of the Saturday Night Live Cast, rockers like Metallica, and even President Clinton. But now she's the author of her first picture book, Say What? and it's already a favorite in our home.

In charming rhyming verse, the author asks whether animals are saying more than we think they are. When a cow says MOO does she really mean WHO?/ When a lion says ROAR does he really mean MORE?





It's such a nice break from the boring books that match sounds with animal photos and leave it at that. In Say What? preschoolers will adore the clever verse and the open ended questions that can lead to some fun bedtime conversations.

Also a hit: Joey Chou's vibrant illustrations that bring it all to life with a wink--I love the lion cub taking a bath while his dad brings him more toys. (Lions! They're just like us!) And don't miss the horse talking on a Blackberry with his Bluetooth headset. Sound like any parent you know? -Liz

Find Say What? by Angela DiTerlizzi online from our affiliate Amazon