Hello, Arnie!: An Arnie the Doughnut Story

by Laurie Keller, Laurie Keller (Illustrator)

Overview

Arnie the Donut wants to know what kind of giant donut YOU are in Hello, Arnie!, a picture book for preschoolers by bestselling, Geisel Award-winning creator Laurie Keller.

Arnie is excited to say hello to all his pastry friends in the bakery. There are all the usual confection suspects: Chocolate, Glazed, French Twist, Long John, and Crueller. But there is one pastry that he’s never met before. This pastry looks nothing like the others. Hmmm. Who could it be? Spoiler alert—it’s the Reader!

This charming picture book introduces children to everyone’s favorite doughnut through a series of questions that the youngest reader will love taking part in.

Christy Ottaviano Books

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250107244
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	09/29/2020
Series:	Arnie the Doughnut Series
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Laurie Keller is the bestselling author-illustrator of many books for kids, including Do Unto Otters; Potato Pants!; The Scrambled States of America; the Geisel Award-winning We Are Growing!; and Arnie the Doughnut, as well as three books in the Adventures of Arnie the Doughnut chapter book series.

Growing up in Michigan, Laurie always loved to draw, paint and write stories. She earned a B.F.A. at Kendall College of Art and Design, then worked at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City as a greeting card illustrator for seven years. One night, the idea for a children’s book popped into her head and after showing the story to several publishers in New York City, she quit her job and moved there. The following year, that story idea was a published book—The Scrambled States of America. Laurie loved living in NYC, but she returned to her home state, where she lives in the woods along the shores of Lake Michigan.

Laurie Keller is the bestselling author-illustrator of many books for kids, including Do Unto Otters; Potato Pants!; The Scrambled States of America; the Geisel Award-winning We Are Growing!; and Arnie the Doughnut, as well as three books in the Adventures of Arnie the Doughnut chapter book series.

Growing up in Michigan, Laurie always loved to draw, paint and write stories. She earned a B.F.A. at Kendall College of Art and Design, then worked at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City as a greeting card illustrator for seven years. One night, the idea for a children’s book popped into her head and after showing the story to several publishers in New York City, she quit her job and moved there. The following year, that story idea was a published book—The Scrambled States of America. Laurie loved living in NYC, but she returned to her home state, where she lives in the woods along the shores of Lake Michigan.

Editorial Reviews

A Junior Library Guild Selection

"Would that all newcomers, to school or elsewhere, whatever their differences, received the same warm collective welcome Arnie and his fellow baked goods thereupon offer in the luscious climactic spread. Donut expect this to pass young audiences without causing a sprinkle of giggles." —Kirkus Reviews

"Varying perspectives and layouts add humor, such as a montage of Arnie modeling ways to wear frosting and sprinkles (check out that sweet, sweet mustache). With engaging direct-address elements to encourage participation, this fanciful, gleeful read is sure to entertain, particularly during group story times."—Booklist

From the Publisher

2020-06-03
A new arrival forces Arnie the doughnut to think outside the pastry rack.

Kicking off another exciting day at the bakery, Arnie exuberantly greets every other mouthwatering treat by name—“Hi, Plain! Hey, Long John! Top of the morning, Jelly!”—until he breaks the fourth wall by looking up from the page: “AHHHH!!! You’re…the biggest doughnut…I’ve ever seen!” But what kind of doughnut? Arnie goes about methodically gathering clues: “1. You’re not round. 2. You don’t have filling coming out of your head. 3. You don’t have a hole in the middle. 4. You don’t have frosting or sprinkles.” Arnie ultimately arrives at a stunning insight. “I’m starting to think you’re NOT a giant doughnut.” Mind blown, his pop eyes turning into big spirals in Keller’s high-calorie cartoons, the gooey gumshoe blurts out the obvious conclusion: “You’re a GIANT COOKIE!” Would that all newcomers, to school or elsewhere, whatever their differences, received the same warm collective welcome Arnie and his fellow baked goods thereupon offer in the luscious climactic spread. Readers of Arnie’s eponymous 2003 debut or his chapter-book outings in Bowling Alley Bandit (2013) and its sequels may be disoriented to find him back in the doughnut case and without human pal Mr. Bing or chip companion Peezo, but that doesn’t make the spirit of this offering any less sweet. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 56.3% of actual size.)

Donut expect this to pass young audiences without causing a sprinkle of giggles. (Picture book. 5-7)

Kirkus Reviews