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Picture Book Review: Hello Hello by Brendan Wenzel

Review: Hello Hello by Brendan Wenzel Source: Hardcopy courtesy of Raincoast Books. Thank you! Expected publication: March 20, 2018 by Chronicle Books Book Description: Hello, Hello! Beginning with two cats, one black and one white, a chain of animals appears before the reader, linked together by at least one common trait. From simple colors and…

michelle@fabbookreviews
March 15, 2018
3 minutes
brendan wenzel, children’s, excellent, picture books, read aloud, reviews, storytime

Review: Hello Hello by Brendan Wenzel
Source: Hardcopy courtesy of Raincoast Books. Thank you!
Expected publication: March 20, 2018 by Chronicle Books
Book Description:

Hello, Hello! Beginning with two cats, one black and one white, a chain of animals appears before the reader, linked together by at least one common trait. From simple colors and shapes to more complex and abstract associations, each unexpected encounter celebrates the magnificent diversity of our world-and ultimately paints a story of connection.

Brendan Wenzel’s joyous, rhythmic text and exuberant art encourage readers to delight in nature’s infinite differences and to look for-and marvel at-its gorgeous similarities. It all starts with a simple Hello.”

The book includes:
– An afterword from author Brendan Wenzel about the importance of conservation and protecting the wildlife on our planet.
– A glossary of the animals featured in the book and a notation on their status (Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered).”

Author and illustrator Brendan Wenzel won a Caldecott Honor for his brilliant They All Saw A Cat. Picture book readers might also already be familiar with his utterly vibrant and eye-catching illustrative work for Ellen Jackson’s Beastly Babies and Angela DiTerlizzi’s Some Pets. With Hello Hello, Wenzel returns with a rhyming, strikingly illustrated story that also calls attention to the diversity of the animal kingdom and conservation.

Hello Hello is a gorgeous tour of sorts through a great number of creatures in the animal kingdom; everything from domestic animals to well known animals like the cheetah and tiger to perhaps lesser known animals like the strawberry poison dart frog and superb lyrebird! As an example, the picture book begins with a spread of a white cat and a black cat facing each other with a ‘Hello Hello’, and follows with a spread of creatures representing ‘Black and White’ animals to animals to go along with the themes of ‘Hello Color’ and ‘Hello Bright’. The picture book very sweetly ties in its gentle missive of awareness, appreciation and kindness for the animal kingdom with a lovely spread of a ring-tailed lemur along with two young children getting a thumbs up from (an unfortunately critically endangered) Sumatran orangutan.

Hello Hello is another excellent title from Wenzel. The illustrations are beautiful and bright (Wenzel’s artwork is stunning and likely to be appreciated by all ages!), and the book is likely to be loved as a rhyming read aloud for a storytime (toddlers or preschoolers and up). Hello Hello works on a few levels: due to its rhythmic feel and rhymes, it might work very well as a read aloud due its straightforward and streamlined text and eye-catching illustrations; for older children, the title can work as a exploration of animal species (or looking at efforts to conserve particular animals, the list goes on!). As noted in the book description, there is also an afterword from Wenzel on the topic of wildlife conservation, as well as a splendid (and highly useful!) glossary of all of the animals drawn in the book and information about the status of their species.

 

 
 
Endpapers!
 
A glimpse at the glossary!

I received a copy of this title courtesy of Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and comments are my own.

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4 responses to “Picture Book Review: Hello Hello by Brendan Wenzel”

  1. Review: The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World’s Coral Reefs by Kate Messner & Matthew Forsythe | Fab Book Reviews
    May 25, 2018 at 1:28 am

    […] children’s title that has multiple ways of being enjoyed (and used!). Thinking of books like Hello Hello or Bloom, one can see that children’s titles (whether categorized as picture books or more […]

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    Reply
  2. Picture Book Reviews: A Stone Sat Still & Rabbit and the Motorbike – Fab Book Reviews
    August 26, 2019 at 3:18 am

    […] work that speaks directly to animal and ecological conservation, interested readers can check out Hello Hello and pair with A Stone Sat Still to prod further dialogue on endangered species and the loss of […]

    LikeLike

    Reply
  3. Board Book Look: Titles from Shasha Lv, Brendan Wenzel, and Aaron Becker! – Fab Book Reviews
    November 23, 2020 at 1:31 am

    […] picture book author and illustrator Brendan Wenzel‘s Hello Hello! I had the pleasure of reviewing the picture book format of Hello Hello, so please take the time to look over my thoughts t…if you’d like a more expansive view! Losing none of the original work’s earnestness and […]

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    Reply
  4. Children’s Reviews: When Elephants Listen with Their Feet, Raven, Rabbit, Deer and Benjamin’s Blue Feet – Fab Book Reviews
    April 20, 2021 at 2:38 am

    […] of the story! Readers who are looking for picture books with themes environmental awareness (like Hello Hello or Most of the Better Natural Things in the World), or those who love picture books with a unique […]

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