18th July Listening Day

World Listening Day is hosted every year by the World Listening Project, a nonprofit organisation that is “devoted to understanding the world and its natural environment, societies, and cultures through the practice of listening and field recording.” They explore acoustic ecology, a discipline that studies the relationship between humans and the natural world as mediated through sound. So quiet down, open up your ears, and get ready to study soundscapes on World Listening Day.

World Listening Day falls on July 18th  to honour the birthday of Raymond Murray Schafer, a Canadian composer and environmentalist who is seen as the founder of acoustic ecology. Born on July 18, 1933, he developed his World Soundscape Project, which laid the fundamental ideas and practices of acoustic ecology in the 1970s. Each year there is a theme. 2022 is Listening Across Boundaries

To make this concept simple enough for young children, I have chosen to just isolate books where the focus is on listening with purpose.

Start with this oldie, but goodie The Listening Walk  by Paul Showers and Aliki

which reminds both adults and kids of the wonders all around them...if they slow down and listen. 

A little girl and her father take a quiet walk and identify the sounds around them. Soon the girl discovers an extraordinary world of sounds in her everyday environment.

Then Listen, Listen by Phil Gershator and Alison Jay

Listen to the sounds of the year - from summer's sizzling sun to winter's crackling snow.

The Other Way to Listen by Byrd Taylor

When you know "the other way to listen," you can hear the wild-flower seed bursting open. You hear rocks murmuring and hills singing, and it seems like the most natural thing in the world. Of course, it takes a lot of practice, and you can't be in a hurry. Most people never hear these things at all. 

Listen  by Gaby Snyder and Stephanie Graegin

Isn't the world a noisy place?
But what if you
stop, close your eyes,
and LISTEN?

Listen to Our World by Bill Martin Jr, Michael Sampson and Melissa Sweet

Big, small, black, brown-all kinds of animals make their home in our world. From the jungle to the mountains, the desert to the ocean, listen and you just might hear the sounds they make! 

Listen by Holly M. McGhee and Paul Lemaitre

Listen teaches us to engage our senses, to taste, see, and feel in order to engage with the world around us. 

Listen to the Birds  by Ana Gerhard and Cecilia Varela

In addition to lovely illustrations, the book features a glossary of musical terms, a short biography of each composer, and a brief description of each bird evoked or mentioned in the composition.

While not strictly about listening, this book Listen by Shannon Stocker and Devon Holzwarth is about a deaf girl who wanted to play percussion.

As a child, Evelyn Glennie's ears began to hurt. Voices became distant whispers. Ringing phones sounded like muffled crunches in her ears. But when she was told that she would need to wear hearing aids for the rest of her life, Evelyn was determined that this this would never stop her from playing music.

While not about listening to nature, it is about why listening can be important.

How Do We Listen by Jenna Laffin

Listening is a skill we all need. An original song paired with a picture books helps students learn how to listen and why it is important.

Listen Buddy  by Helen Lester and Lynn Munsinger . While not about listening to nature, it is about why listening can be important.

What Makes a Lemur Listen by Samuel Langley-Swain

Maki doesn't want to listen until he gets lost in the jungle, where a new friend helps him work on his listening skills. 

And I Have just ordered this, Look and Listen by Dianne White and Amy Schimler because the blurb makes it sounds as if it fits the brief too.

A child steps outside and strolls along, taking in the sights and sounds of nature. Rhythmic, rhyming text tracks his journey through a garden, meadow, and next to a brook, introducing a new color and animal found in that ecosystem with every turn of the page, transforming an ordinary walk into a feast for the senses.