"A lucid and passionate case for a more mindful way of listening to and engaging with musical, natural, and manmade sounds." —New York Times In this tour of the world’s most unexpected sounds, Trevor Cox—the “David Attenborough of the acoustic realm” (Observer)—discovers the world’s longest echo in a hidden oil cavern in Scotland, unlocks the secret of singing sand dunes in California, and alerts us to the aural gems that exist everywhere in between. Using the world’s most amazing acoustic phenomena to reveal how sound works in everyday life, The Sound Book inspires us to become better listeners in a world dominated by the visual and to open our ears to the glorious cacophony all around us.

Everything vibrates and makes sound, from the smallest living cells in the human body to the biggest skyscrapers. Sound itself is a travelling wave of vibrating particles but, amazingly, our brains can understand sounds – gathering information and meaning from these vibrations. Sounds are the building blocks for language, and culture, and can be a source of both pleasure and pain. In the modern world sound is also fantastic tool for medicine, industry and monitoring the natural environment. But it can also be polluting and bad for our health. For many animals, sound is essential for survival, enabling them to communicate, hunt and navigate their world. Hearing loss affects around 5% of the world’s population, and encouraged by the WHO, scientists across the world are working to find new ways to improve deaf people’s lives. The science of sound cuts across many disciplines - from medicine and neuroscience to the environment - and people who study sound use complex mathematics and cutting-edge technology to help us understand how sound affects us and our planet. 2020/21 was the first International Year of Sound, initiated by the International Commission for Acoustics, in response to UNESCO resolution 39C/49, as a celebration of sound and how it enters our lives in so many ways. To celebrate the year of sound, here you will find a collection of articles written by experts from the UK Acoustics Network and the International Year of Sound team. These articles explore the fascinating world of sound and how it benefits and causes problems to people, other animals, and our environment. Editorial consultant: Caryl Hart, Children’s Author.

The Sun: "Simply charming" Roy is a lion and a sound catcher. He catches the sounds of the city and makes them into music, trying to avoid the annoying attentions of his neighbor, Jemmy. Feeling like his music isn’t good enough, Roy goes on a journey to find the best sound in the world for inspiration. He hears the pitter-patter of the rain in the forest, the wind whistling through the desert, and the hustle and bustle of the souk at sunrise, but none of it helps—he can’t decide which is the best sound. Just as he’s about to give up, he hears a familiar voice . . . can Jemmy teach him that perhaps there are lots of beautiful sounds, not just one, and that for Jemmy, Roy’s music is the best of all? This gorgeous debut picture book is a heart-warming tribute to the power of friendship.

Take a photo with the magic camera-shaped sound module and read the fascinating facts in these fun new sound books!Packed with globe-trotting fun for children to discover, taking snaps of the animals of the world as they go with the noisy camera button.

The music incorporated in World Sound Matters was selected and prepared by music specialists. The user is provided an introduction to the musical traditions of the world, which can be integrated into the classroom for practical use.

Motion Inside! Designed for children ages 18 months and older, the book features four lenticular images that help make the Eric Carle characters come to life. Illustrated icons on the book's pages match the buttons on the audio module. As children follow the story, they can find the matching buttons and press them to hear the sounds of Christmas.