cover image Do Monkeys Tweet?

Do Monkeys Tweet?

Melanie Walsh. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), $15 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-395-85081-7

This companion to Do Pigs Have Stripes? will likewise have children delighted to know the answers to such questions as ""Do little mice purr?"" (""No, cats purr""); in addition to shouting a resounding ""No!"" involved listeners can join in with the animal sounds. (Children who want to know what kind of sound butterflies or camels actually make, however, may put adults on the spot.) The simply rendered, gently brushed illustrations play neutral grays and browns against bright fields of salmon, aqua, purple and lemon. Humorous touches reinforce the absurdity of growling butterflies and buzzing lambs: the question ""Do horses bark?"" shows a horse with a big cartoony bone in its mouth; the growling tiger looks about as fierce as a stuffed toy kitten; the pig winks slyly as it demonstrates that pigs, not rabbits, oink. The last question--""Do owls go hoot in the middle of the night?""--may be the only one to be answered yes, but the entire book is truly a hoot. Ages 4-7. (Sept.)