Hello Hello

by Brendan Wenzel

Overview

Named a Best Children's Book of the Year bythe Washington Post, Amazon, Working Mother, and more!

Now available in a board book edition for the very youngest readers to enjoy, Hello Hello explores all aspects of seeing and appreciating nature.

Starting with color and pattern and moving on size, shape, sound, and more, this board book is perfect for introducing the youngest readers to important visual concepts.

• From Brendan Wenzel, Caldecott Honor–winning author of They All Saw a Cat
• Features over 30 different species, many of them endangered
• Includes a glossary identifying the animals in the book

It's easy to see how the animals in this book are different from one another, but can you tell what makes them the same?

Hello Hello is a celebration of the unique traits that make every creature special—a celebration of diversity that is also an ode to connection and curiosity.

• Brendan Wenzel is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator.
• A playful approach to similarities and differences in nature
• Great gift for new parents and grandparents, as well as librarians, teachers, and educators
• Perfect for baby showers and first birthdays
• Add it to the shelf with books like What Do You Do with a Problem? by Kobi Yamada, This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen, and Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452174181
Publisher:	Chronicle Books LLC
Publication date:	03/20/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	52
File size:	7 MB
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Brendan Wenzel is an author and illustrator based in upstate New York. His debut picture book, They All Saw a Cat, was a New York Times bestseller and the recipient of a 2017 Caldecott Honor. An ardent conservationist, he is a proud collaborator with many organizations working to ensure the future of wild places and threatened species.

Editorial Reviews

Wenzel's vibrant collaged art and simple rhythms call to mind Eric Carle, with a factual-minded touch.

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

★ 01/08/2018
Wenzel starts with two cats and a greeting: “Hello Hello.” They eye each other across a white backdrop. A page turn reveals a black bear, panda, zebra, and striped fish: “Black and White.” The next page provides a blast of color: more tropical fish, a brilliant parrot, a fuchsia lobster—and completes the rhyme (“Hello Color Hello Bright”). More creatures and greetings bring the story into focus—it’s a celebration of the myriad forms of animal life this planet hosts. In richly textured mixed-media compositions, Caldecott Honor recipient Wenzel (They All Saw a Cat) balances realism and engaging caricature. The animals’ coats and features are rendered with careful attention, and each animal face sports cartoonish, wide-open eyes, the better to give each other impish looks. In an author’s note, Wenzel urges readers to know the creatures they share the Earth with, especially those that are threatened or endangered. (Official names are supplied in two keyed drawings at the back.) It’s a joyful way to deliver a message about the fragility of life on Earth and what would be lost if more of it disappeared. Ages 3–5. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Vivacious, utterly appealing.” - Booklist, starred review

"Readers again take a visual journey that opens the door to deeper thought."—The Virginia-Pilot

Amazon Best Children’s Books of the Year

The Washington Post Best Children's Books of the Year

Book Riot Favorite Books of the Year So Far

Working Mother Best Books of the Year So Far

Fatherly Best Children's Books of the Year

Common Sense Media Best Books of the Year

Evanston Public Library Best Books of the Year

★"Vivacious, utterly appealing." —Booklist, starred review

★""Dynamic images cavorting, reclining, flying, or dancing across and around stark white pages snag both emotions and imaginations . . . that will delight readers everywhere." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ “A celebration of the myriad forms of animal life this planet hosts . . . a joyful way to deliver a message about the fragility of life on Earth and what would be lost if more of it disappeared.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ “This uplifting visual delight will inspire a new generation of youngsters to love the natural world.” —Shelf Awareness, starred review

"One of 2018's must-haves for children." -—Entertainment Weekly

“Hello Hello spreads its arms wide, introducing the staggering range of species that share the earth - many of them endangered or threatened. Wenzel’s vibrant collaged art and simple rhythms call to mind Eric Carle, with a factual-minded touch.” -The New York Times

“This exuberant, welcoming look at the hundreds of animals that share the planet with humans is both poignant and lighthearted” —The Washington Post

“A subtle exhortation to notice the beauty and variety of animals, especially rare and endangered ones.” -The Wall Street Journal

"Greet 92 creatures, great and small, pictured in this whirlwind, worldwide tour." —The San Francisco Chronicle

"Fun and bright and sure to be a favorite among kids and parents alike." —Book Riot

“A satisfyingly complex and immersive experience.” —The Horn Book Magazine

"A vibrant book with fantastic colors and a important message.." -Book Riot

"A visually strong layout that encourages animal comparisons using concepts like size and color." —Charlotte News Observer

"Our number one choice of picture books from the first half of 2018 is Hello Hello, a gorgeous and cheerful celebration of animals of all shapes and sizes that will inspire children to care for all the world’s wild creatures." —Working Mother

“Deceptively simple but gorgeously realized, with a powerful statement about celebrating and protecting the Earth’s fauna in all its diverse (yet interconnected) splendor.” -School Library Journal

"Brendan Wenzel's colorful introduction to the world of animals encourages exploration and preservation."—Today.com

“Dynamic images cavorting, reclining, flying, or dancing across and around stark white pages snag both emotions and imaginations . . . that will delight readers everywhere.” -Kirkus Reviews, starred review

From the Publisher

03/01/2018
PreS-K—Beginning with some modest black-and-white critters and the titular greeting, Wenzel introduces a dazzling variety of animals grouped in unexpected ways by pattern ("Hello Stripes Hello Spots"), anatomical features ("Hello Tongue, Ears, Hands, and Nose"), sounds (Hello Roars, Peeps, Chirps, and Chants") and many other criteria, each description a part of a rhyming poem spread out across the book. Set against ample white backgrounds, Wenzel's mixed media illustrations pop with astounding textures and colors, somewhat reminiscent of Steve Jenkins's work, but considerably more caricature in style with googly eyes and exaggerated shapes. The dizzying parade culminates in a spread of all of the animals together, "A world to see A world to know Where to begin? Hello Hello." A note from the author explains that these animals are some of the author's favorites but are tragically endangered; Wenzel urges readers to discover more about them to better the conservation efforts. An illustrated list of animals is helpfully included, listing the names of all pictured animals and their threatened status. VERDICT Deceptively simple but gorgeously realized, with a powerful statement about celebrating and protecting the Earth's fauna in all its diverse (yet interconnected) splendor.—Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY

School Library Journal

★ 2018-01-13
Caldecott honoree (They All Saw a Cat, 2016) Wenzel's graphic love letter to all us earthlings is a hallelujah chorus to life in all its glorious shapes and forms. Each page is a visual testament to the Sesame Street axiom "different yet the same." The white cat leads off to the black, which then takes readers to the black bear, the black-and-white panda, the stripey zebra, and its finny eponymous cousin, the zebra fish. This natural progression opens readers' minds to the fact that we have more in common with one another than not—but for one alarming distinction. Between 200 and 2,000 species are going extinct each year. Wenzel immortalizes his favorite examples of our planet's exceptional inhabitants, including us, using a variety of artistic media and tools (cut paper, colored pencil, oils, pastels, markers, etc.) to amazing effect. Dynamic images cavorting, reclining, flying, or dancing across and around stark white pages snag both emotions and imaginations. The spare, rhyming text united by the bridging greeting of "Hello" places all creatures on the same interconnected playing field. In the backmatter, the author identifies all his stars on two double-page spreads in order of appearance and notes their status when applicable: vulnerable to critically endangered. Every one of Wenzel's beasties, from the "common" house cat to the mouth-dropping whale shark, exhibits an exuberant spark of life that will delight readers everywhere—and hopefully encourage in them an awareness of their plights. (Picture book. 3-10)

Kirkus Reviews