Secrets of Sound: Studying the Calls of Whales, Elephants, and Birds [Audiobook] [Hardcover]

April Pulley Sayre (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Scientists in the Field Series

Can whales communicate across miles of vast ocean? Can elephants talk to one another with sounds we can not hear? Can birds’ calls help us count them in the sky? These are the kinds of questions that drive the work of acoustic biologists.

In Secrets of Sound, author April Pulley Sayre introduces us to three creative scientists—Christopher W. Clark, Katy Payne, and Bill Evans—who have dedicated themselves to researching how and why animals communicate. Sayre explores how new technologies and secret military information recently released are helping these scientists make exciting discoveries. Such work raises as many questions as it answers, and for the scientists (and readers) that’s half the fun.

This book celebrates the challenges of lab and fieldwork and the thrill of discovery. It not only explores the world of animal communication but also highlights the critical role scientific research can play in preserving endangered animals.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. This fascinating title shows the thrill of scientific discovery up close. Sayre profiles three bioacousticians--scientists who study the sounds made by living things, communication that is often outside the range of human hearing. Each extensive chapter follows the scientist into the field: the ocean, where Christopher Clark studies whales; the rain forest of the Central African Republic, where Katy Payne studies elephants; and throughout the U.S., where Bill Evans studies birds in migration. Sayre's text explains scientific concepts in simple, engaging language, and she gives plenty of detail about work conditions, equipment and research techniques, and what it takes to enter the field. Sayre also shows how the scientists' work contributes not only to a better understanding of the animals but also to conservation and protection of the species. Lots of well-edited quotes from the scientists convey their contagious enthusiasm for what they do, and sharp color photos, sound charts, and activity boxes break up the text, making it even more readable. Like Ellen Jackson's Looking for Life in the Universe, reviewed on p.684, this book is part of the consistently excellent Scientists in the Field series; it provides readers with an inspiring introduction to a little-discussed field and to biology in general. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

April Pulley Sayre is a writer, video producer, and bird watcher with a special interest in "overlooked, sometimes maligned creatures," including bats, insects, and lemurs. She and her husband live in South Bend, Indiana.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; Library Binding edition (September 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618015140
• ISBN-13: 978-0618015146
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,382,735 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

April Pulley Sayre loves the sounds of animals and the sounds of words. She is an award-winning author of over 55 natural history books for children and adults. Her read-aloud books, known for their lyricism and scientific precision, have been translated into French, Dutch, Japanese, and Korean. Her picture book VULTURE VIEW, illustrated by Steve Jenkins, received the Theodor "Seuss" Geisel Honor from the American Library Association. STARS BENEATH YOUR BED: the Surprising Story of Dust, received the AAAS/SB&F/Subaru Prize for Excellence in Science Books and was named an ALA Notable. ONE IS SNAIL, TEN IS A CRAB was an ALA Notable and received Britain's highest literacy award. THE BUMBLEBEE QUEEN marked her third win of the John Burroughs Award. Sayre and her husband Jeff have followed lemurs in Madagascar, pursued army ants in Panama, and eaten piranha in the Peruvian Amazon. Mostly, though, they garden for wildlife and munch blueberries at their home in the Midwest.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Secrets of Sound, October 3, 2003

By 

Carolyn Marsden "children's author" (La Jolla, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secrets of Sound: Studying the Calls of Whales, Elephants, and Birds (Hardcover)

April Pulley Sayre's Secrets of Sound is an invaluable resource for teachers. It is packed with information yet engagingly written. Not only does the book provide a fresh look at whales, elephants, and migratory birds, but also at the scientists who study these creatures. This behind-the-scenes peek into the lifestyles of these scientists may motivate children to explore a scientific career. At the end of each section, Sayre brings out the conservation effots of the featured scientist. This book on bioacoustics supports curriculum standards which require children to understand the physics of sound. Fine photos bring the text to life.