Please welcome author and illustrator Abi Cushman! Her newest picture book with Charlotte Offsay is called THE QUIET FOREST. It comes out in March, and it’s about a mischievous mouse that sets off a loud chain of events in the forest.
We are giving away a signed copy of The Quiet Forest. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom.
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Crash! Whiz! Bang! Don’t you love sound words, or onomatopoeia, in picture books? They are so fun to read aloud and fun for kids to repeat. And not only do they add an element of playfulness to the story, but they also pull the reader closer to the action. Onomatopoeia is a reflection of the actual sound, so books with onomatopoeia really appeal to the senses and engage little readers.
Here are eight picture books that use onomatopoeia beautifully and would make wonderful read-aloud for the younger crowd or nice mentor texts for students learning about onomatopoeia as a literary device.
8 Great Picture Books with Onomatopoeia
The Quiet Forest by Charlotte Offsay, illustrated by Abi Cushman
This cumulative picture book shows what happens when one mouse’s mischievous action sets off a chain reaction that disrupts a forest full of animals. With lots of fun splats, splashes, and splatters, kids will love guessing what animal and what disaster is coming next. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Everybody in the Red Brick Building by Anne Wynter, illustrated by Oge Mora
When a baby starts to cry at night, things get loud in the red brick building. Lots of fantastic loud sounds are featured in this cumulative picture book, like a parrot squawking and a car alarm blaring, but also nice soft sounds, like the swishing of a street sweeper outside and the beating of the mother’s heart as the baby snuggles in close. [picture book, ages 3 and up]
Quiet Down, Loud Town! by Alastair Heim, illustrated by Matt Hunt
This is a highly amusing story about an elephant who is fed up with all the loud sounds his neighbors are making. Told with lots of lively sound words and in rhyme, kids will get a kick out of the buildup of noises and then the hilarious ending. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Animals Go Vroom! by Abi Cushman
Filled with a variety of sounds like roar, hiss, and screech, this funny picture book has you guessing if it’s an animal making each sound or the vehicle the animal is driving. It has peekaboo windows to give you a hint at the next page. [picture book, ages 2 and up]
Listen by Gabi Snyder, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin
This meditative picture book encourages kids to listen to the sounds around them–to really be mindful of each sound. It’s a calming story that uses onomatopoeia to great effect. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Ten Ways to Hear Snow by Cathy Camper, illustrated by Kenard Pak
Reminiscent of The Snowy Day, this gentle story follows a girl walking in the snow to her grandmother’s apartment to make warak enab (stuffed grape leaves). Along the way, the girl listens carefully and counts all the different sounds of snow. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Bing Bang Pling by Deb Adamson, illustrated by Candice Hartsough
With a fun bouncy rhyming text, this book showcases the sounds that tools make as a young girl helps her parents build a swing set in the backyard. Kids will enjoy seeing all the different kinds of tools in action throughout the story. [picture book, ages 2 and up]
Zap! Clap! Boom!: The Story of a Thunderstorm by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Elly MacKay
Not only is this story fun to read aloud, with rollicking rhymes and fantastic onomatopoeia, but it also teaches kids about the different stages of a thunderstorm. [picture book, ages 3 and up]
Signed Copy of The Quiet Forest GIVEAWAY!
We are giving away a signed copy of The Quiet Forest. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter below.
Abi Cushman is the author-illustrator of funny picture books, including WOMBATS ARE PRETTY WEIRD, ANIMALS GO VROOM!, SOAKED! and THE QUIET FOREST (written by Charlotte Offsay). When she’s not making books, Abi enjoys running, playing tennis, and eating nachos. (Yes, at the same time.) She lives on the Connecticut shoreline with her husband and two kids.
To learn more about Abi and her books, visit her website at AbiCushman.com. If you like secrets, exclusive sneak peeks, wombats, and special giveaways, subscribe to her newsletter.
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My books:
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
- Starred review from School Library Journal
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me
I like them but can’t recall others.