Yaks Yak: Animal Word Pairs

Yaks Yak: Animal Word Pairs
By Linda Sue Park
Clarion Books, 2016. Picture book.

This book presents animals acting out the verbs that are the same as their names. So hogs are seen hogging apples from each other, slugs slug each other with boxing gloves, and bats bat baseballs. After a simple sentence is given on one page, such as “Hogs hog,” a simple definition is given on the following page, such as, “to hog = to take more than your share.” Some of the animals and verbs will be familiar to children and some will be new. Comical illustrations add great details that bring the sentences to life.

A chart at the end of the book explains the origins of each verb and which were inspired by the animal’s behavior and which are the same only by coincidence. A fun, accessible resource to help parents, homeschoolers, and teachers introduce new vocabulary and an understanding of word relationships. Available in picture book and electronic format.

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