Cost: FREE
Conceived by: Kristen Fulton
Available: HERE
Contributors: Myself and many others (see cover).
When I first started writing for children, the word Onomatopoeia kept tripping me up (It IS a pain to spell).
I found out what it meant:
noun [mass noun]
- the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g. cuckoo, sizzle).
- the use of onomatopoeia for literary effect.
Origin: late 16th century: via late Latin from Greek onomatopoiia ‘word-making’, from onoma, onomat- ‘name’ + -poios ‘making’ (from poiein ‘to make’) (Oxforddictionaries.com)
But it wasn’t easy to find any resources that dealt with Onomatopoeia exclusively.
The same happened to Kristen Fulton, but she also had the great idea of putting together this fantastic resource. In June 2013 she quickly put out the call for contributors. I could immediately see the benefits to writers so I had to get involved . In a few months Kristen transformed all our contributions into this very attractive and comprehensive little book.
My contributions focused on the City Sounds and People Sounds section of the resource specifically.
Many of the contributors are children’s writers. Picture book stories and short stories for children often feature onomatopoeia and rely on sounds to make the story engaging and fun. Sounds can be poetic, funny or grating, but they all help immerse the reader in the story. As a parent or carer reading these stories out loud gives you the chance to put all your dramatics into your voice and a young child a chance to join in.
Here are some examples of picture books featuring onomatopoeia I found while quickly going through my shelf:
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
Rattletrap Car by Phyllis Root
I Saw an Ant on the Railroad Track by Joshua Prince
And here is an example of one of my favourites, The Rain Train by Elena de Roo:
The wail of the wind, the sway of the train
The strum of the wheels, to the beat of the rain
A pitter-pat-pat, a pitter-pat-pat
A pittery-pittery-pittery-pat
Open up any comic book and I dare you NOT to find an example of onomatopoeia! Kapow, Boom, Bang, Zoom!
This resource has been put together by many contributors, listed on the cover. Copies may only be downloaded from their individual websites or be produced or shared by them only for your personal use.
Here are those contributors again:
Marice Atkins Sabrina Marchal
Tanja Bauerle Joanna Marple
Margaret Chiu Greanias Yvonne Mes
Sue Frye Saba Negash
Kristen Fulton Susan Rankin-Pollard
Christine Irvin Teresa Robeson
Elaine Kiely Kearns Donna L. Sadd
What is your favourite picture book story featuring Onomatopoeia?
