Chitchat: Celebrating the World’s Languages. Jude Isabella. Illustrated by Kathy Boake. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press, 2013. 44 pp., hardcover, $18.95. ISBN 978-1-55453-787-7. Subject Heading: Language and languages-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-6 / Ages 8-11. Review by Heidi Henkenhaf. *** /4

excerpt:

“YO HOMIE, YOU’RE looking thinkative. Whaddup?”

That’s slang for: “Hey friend, you look deep in thought. What’s going on?”

Slang is an informal word or phrase, usually found in speech, not writing.

It is the poetry of everyday life.

How would our human experience be different without the ability to communicate? Chitchat: Celebrating the World’s Languages explores how language, in its many forms, is in a constant state of change.

     The human collected forms of communication are continually evolving. Chitchat: Celebrating the World’s Languages offers some possibilities about the origin of language, from baby chatter to mimicking animals’ sounds. In order for language to be a successful form of communication, groups of people need to agree on the rules. Then they must accept the changing rules as, over the years, language has been influenced by things like physical environment, culture, conquest, and globalization. The more languages, or forms of communication, a person can master, the more advantage that person has in communicating with a larger group. This book demonstrates the resilient and dynamic ability of humans to create and adapt to changing communication possibilities.

     I recommend this book because of its interesting subject matter. Jude Isabella has presented an interesting subject which is complemented with relevant and enjoyable illustrations by Kathy Boake.

Recommended.

Heidi Henkenhaf is an Auxiliary Reference Librarian & Children’s Librarian at the Vancouver Public Library.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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