Book Resume

for Sounds All Around: The Science of How Sound Works by Susan Hughes and Ellen Rooney

Professional book information and credentials for Sounds All Around.

1 Professional Review
Selected for 1 State/Province List

Kirkus:
Ages 5 - 10
TeachingBooks:*
Grades PK-2
Lexile Level:
690L

Genre:
Nonfiction
Year Published:
2021

6 Subject Headings

The following 6 subject headings were determined by the U.S. Library of Congress and the Book Industry Study Group (BISAC) to reveal themes from the content of this book (Sounds All Around).

The following unabridged reviews are made available under license from their respective rights holders and publishers. Reviews may be used for educational purposes consistent with the fair use doctrine in your jurisdiction, and may not be reproduced or repurposed without permission from the rights holders.

Note: This section may include reviews for related titles (e.g., same author, series, or related edition).

From Kirkus

May 1, 2021
A basic introduction to the properties and measurement of sound. A short-haired, brown-skinned child and a dog with a bandanna around its neck serve as cheerful guides through informal informational text and textured, cartoon illustrations. Everyday scenes, like a busy city street, appear alongside more fanciful ones, like a dog-versus-child drag race. Descriptions of various sounds lead into explanations of sound's forms and functions as well as related facts about animals (for example, bats use echolocation) and prompts for experiments that readers can do on their own (like feeling for vibrations in your neck when you hum). Concentric circles and repeated curves help readers spot sound waves in every situation. The content is broader than it is deep: While it doesn't contain a complete physical description of a pressure wave, for instance, it does have a simple basic explanation of how sounds travel from the world into our brains. It doesn't diagram human inner ear bones, either, but it does feature a nifty graph of the hearing ranges of 12 different animals. One notable misstep is the spread about decibels, which fails to communicate that this measure of sound's power doesn't increase in linear fashion; 20 dB is not 10 plus louder than 10 dB, but 10 times louder. That's pretty important for readers trying to follow the recommendation "To keep your ears safe, stay away from really loud noise"! (This book was reviewed digitally.) A decent overview that's more approachable than a textbook. (activity, glossary) (Informational picture book. 5-10)

1 Selection for State & Provincial Recommended Reading Lists

Sounds All Around was selected by educational and library professionals to be included on the following state/provincial reading lists.

United States Lists (1)

Delaware

Delaware Diamonds Award, 2022-2023, Grades K-2

Primary Source Statement on Creating Sounds All Around

Susan Hughes on creating Sounds All Around:

This primary source recording with Susan Hughes was created to provide readers insights directly from the book's creator into the backstory and making of this book.

Listen to this recording on TeachingBooks

Citation: Hughes, Susan. "Meet-the-Author Recording | Sounds All Around." TeachingBooks, https://school.teachingbooks.net/bookResume/t/74595. Accessed 25 December, 2025.

Preview Digital Book

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This Book Resume for Sounds All Around is compiled from TeachingBooks, a library of professional resources about children's and young adult books. This page may be shared for educational purposes and must include copyright information. Reviews are made available under license from their respective rights holders and publishers.

*Grade levels are determined by certified librarians utilizing editorial reviews and additional materials. Relevant age ranges vary depending on the learner, the setting, and the intended purpose of a book.