Children - Fiction & Literature, Fiction - People, Places & Cultures

Say Hello!

Name: Say Hello!
Author: Rachel Isadora
ISBN: 9780399252303

by Rachel Isadora

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Overview

Carmelita loves to greet everyone in her colorful neighborhood. There are people from so many different cultures! They all like to say hello too, so now Carmelita can say hello in Spanish, English, French, Japanese, and many other languages. And her dog, Manny-well, he seems to understand everyone, and gives a happy 'Woof!' wherever he goes.

Caldecott Honor winner Rachel Isadora's eyecatching collages are full of kid-friendly details like colorful storefronts, pigeons and an ice cream truck, making Carmelita's neighborhood fun to explore. Emphasizing the rich diversity of America's neighborhoods, this simple portrait of a child's day provides a great introduction to the joy of language.

Synopsis

Carmelita loves to greet everyone in her colorful neighborhood. There are people from so many different cultures! They all like to say hello too, so now Carmelita can say hello in Spanish, English, French, Japanese, and many other languages. And her dog, Manny—well, he seems to understand everyone, and gives a happy “Woof!” wherever he goes.

Publishers Weekly

Carmelita, a girl in pigtails with a butterscotch complexion, walks with her mother and her dog through a multicultural neighborhood en route to meet her Abuela Rosa. Each individual they encounter says hello in his or her respective language, and Carmelita echoes back each greeting. “Shalom!' says Mrs. Rosen and her children,” while a man flipping pizzas at an Italian restaurant calls “Ciao!” Even less formal greetings gets their due as Carmelita's friends shout “Hey!” and “Wuzzup?” Isadora's trademark textural collages, using oil paint and printed papers that recall batik, vividly convey the joys of diversity. Ages 3-5. (Apr.)

About the Author, Rachel Isadora

Rachel Isadora received a Caldecott Honor for Ben's Trumpet, and her books include Peekaboo Bedtime, the Lili at Ballet series and several classic tales set in Africa (The Night Before Christmas, The Ugly Duckling, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, The Fisherman and His Wife, The Twelve Dancing Princesses and The Princess and the Pea). She lives in New York City.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

Children's Literature - Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

One morning Carmelita has juevos con tocino for breakfast. Then she and her mama get ready to visit Abuela Rosa. As they walk through their neighborhood with their dog Manny, they greet Senor Enrico in his bodega with, "Buenos Dias!" Mrs. Rosen and her children, Orthodox Jews, say "Shalom" to them. On each double page, a different ethnic group offers a greeting in their language: the Japanese in their restaurant, folks from Kenya, the woman in the French Patisserie, the halal butcher and his family, the Italian pizza maker, and a Chinese neighbor. At Abuela Rosa's, when the ice cream truck arrives, Manny demands some in his own doggy language. Isadora creates attractively lively and detailed double-page scenes with oil paints, a collage of printed papers with some words, and palette paper with patterned pieces and pre-painted textures. We are treated to an array of ethnic clothing and foods as Carmelita exchanges greetings with her neighbors. A list of the foreign words plus pronunciation is included in this introduction to linguistic and cultural variety. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1—Carmelita and her mother set out to visit Abuela Rosa. As they pass each family or store, they call out the appropriate greeting. Whether it be friends just returning from Africa ("Jambo!") or the woman in the bakery ("Bonjour!"), Carmelita's dog is ready with a friendly "Woof!" When Carmelita reaches her grandmother ("Hola!"), the two share a smile as the pup seems to understand yet another greeting. Carmelita's busy, diverse neighborhood is a place that children will enjoy, and Isadora's oil-and-collage illustrations are richly detailed. From Carmelita's huevos con tocino (eggs and bacon) to the Japanese restaurant's lanterns, textured paint and printed patterns invite readers to linger on each page. Text and illustrations work together to provide clues for readers who may be learning these greetings for the first time. Pronunciation is not included, so adults will want to prepare before reading the book aloud. This accessible story could be used to discuss not only languages, but clothing and manners as well.—Lisa Glasscock, Columbine Public Library, Littleton, CO

Kirkus Reviews

Today Carmelita visits her Abuela Rosa, but to get there she must walk. Down Ninth Avenue she strolls with her mother and dog. Colorful shops and congenial neighbors greet them along the way, and at each stop Carmelita says hello-in Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew and more. With a friendly "Jambo" for Joseph, a "Bonjour" at the bakery and an affectionate "Hey" for Max and Angel, the pig-tailed girl happily exercises her burgeoning multilingual skills. Her world is a vibrant community, where neighborliness, camaraderie and culture are celebrated. Isadora's collaged artwork, reminiscent of Ezra Jack Keats, contains lovely edges and imperfections, which abet the feeling of an urban environment. Skillfully, she draws with her scissors, the cut-paper elements acting as her line work. Everything has a texture and surface, and with almost no solid colors, the city street is realized as a real, organic place. Readers will fall for the sociable Carmelita as they proudly learn a range of salutations, and the artist's rich environment, packed with hidden details and charming animals, will delight readers with each return visit. Simply enchanting. (Picture book. 3-5)