What Is Your Language? [Paperback]

Debra Leventhal (Author), Monica Wellington (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up | Series: Picture Puffins

Russian, Japanese, Swahili, Spanish... how does each language sound? What are the people of each culture like? Children can find out with this brightly illustrated introduction to foreign lands. "Along with the pleasure of adventure is the recognition of community with kids everywhere." -Booklist

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The lyrics to a children's song from the '60s serve here as text to introduce a variety of cultures to young readers. An adventurous boy boards a plane bound for various points around the globe. At each destination he asks the question "What is your language?" and receives a response from some friendly native kids, e.g., "My language is Chinese / This is the way it sounds: / shi shi shi shi shi shi." Although a page with a simplified musical score and an endnote about languages--containing a pronunciation key--are somewhat informative, their isolation from the text makes for a disjointed reading experience. Readers must infer from stereotypical objects in Wellington's flat gouache and watercolor paintings which country is being visited. The moon-faced children all wear the same vapid but cheerful expression throughout the book. Though the emphasis on cultural tolerance is promising, this volume delivers little more than the translation of "yes" and "no" into a few foreign languages. Ages 2-6.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-In this song in picture-book format, a young boy traveling around the world asks the youngsters he encounters, "What is your language? Please tell me now." Each group responds with the name of their native tongue and then replies, "This is the way it sounds...." The boys and girls say the word "yes" in German, French, Russian, Inuktitut, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Swahili, and Spanish. Then, when the traveler says he must go home, on one page they all say "no" in their respective languages. On each double-page spread, smiling children are dressed in crayon-bright native costumes. In the backgrounds are samples of national architecture or scenery- half-timbered houses in Germany, snow and igloos in the far North, a richly patterned bazaar in the Middle East. The music, information about where the languages are spoken, and a pronunciation guide are appended. Decorative flags (unidentified) and a world-map endpapers (only continents are named) are included. A simple multicultural offering.
Nancy Seiner, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140563156
• ISBN-13: 978-0140563153
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 9.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,009,732 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Introduce your kid to new languages!, June 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: What Is Your Language? (Paperback)

Although it is recommended for ages 4-8, this very simple butcolorful book delighted my 2-year old as well. Not only do they learn"yes" and "no" in several languages, but each new country contains elements of typical culture and dress. French, Spanish, German, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Swahili, Arabic, and Inuit are all presented - along with "British" English.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun song to interest young children in other languages!, November 2, 2011

By 

Colleen @ Les Livres - See all my reviews

This review is from: What Is Your Language? (Hardcover)

"...There is a basic map with oceans and continents labeled on both the front and back inside covers, and the back pages of the book also have the following resources: the words and sheet music for the song AND a page of information about language, including a little information about each of the languages featured in the book and a basic pronunciation guide for the non-English words.

I think this book is a cute and fun way to get a young child interested in other languages and cultures; it's no Dora the Explorer, but when I tried it out with some preschoolers at the childcare facility where I used to work, they really enjoyed the song and had a lot of fun saying the foreign words. ..."

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