Say Hello!

June 1, 2015
A cheerful crew demonstrates some of the ways we can greet each other. A passel of multiethnic human children looks straight out of Colorforms with their round heads, google eyes, and broad smiles. Simple shapes in a palette of primary and pastel colors appear against a white background, and each suggested method covers a spread: "With a hug. // With a shake. // With a curtsy. // With a cake." The rhyming text appears in bold black letters that are easy for beginning readers to decipher. Some hellos are up-close and personal, such as a kiss, while others are meant to be sent from afar in a letter. Some are highly energetic: a dance of happiness. A smile offers a more subtle salutation. A few animals appear in this cast, too. A dog may acknowledge us with a wag of the tail, or we may approach a fish with a wiggle of the toes. In the end, youngsters are exhorted to "make someone's day" by saying hello. Skin color modulates from straight-up pink through beiges and tans to dark brown, though the pinky-peach end of the spectrum dominates. An upbeat if not essential celebration of a common courtesy. (Picture book. 2-5)

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