hello! hello!

by Matthew Cordell

Outside the world is bright and colorful, but Lydia's family is too busy with their gadgets to notice. She says Hello to everyone. Hello? Hello! Her father says hello while texting, her mother says hello while working on her laptop and her brother doesn't say hello at all. The T.V shouts Hello! But she doesn't want to watch any shows. Lydia, now restless, ventures outside. There are so many things to say hello to! Hello rocks! Hello leaves! Hello flowers! When Lydia comes back home she decides to show her family what she has found, and it's hello world and goodbye gadgets!

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Childrens, Technology, Nature, Communication, Fiction

50 pages, Hardcover

First published September 18, 2012

About the author

Matthew Cordell is the acclaimed author and illustrator of the 2018 Caldecott winner Wolf in the Snow. He is also the author and illustrator of Trouble Gum and the illustrator of If the S in Moose Comes Loose, Toot Toot Zoom!, Mighty Casey, Righty and Lefty, and Toby and the Snowflakes, which was written by his wife. Matthew lives in the suburbs of Chicago with his wife, writer Julie Halpern, and their daughter, Romy.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can children's books offer social commentary? Cordell offers some up herein and Neo picked it up as soon as we closed the back cover.

[Jim Erekson · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, the message of balance this book tries to teach is smarmy and preachy. BUT, the exaggeration through the middle of the book was hilarious, and made me think Cordell didn't take himself too seriously. I laughed out loud when the girl's frolic through the ubernatural world suddenly turned to meeting a soul-mate horse and riding bareback o'er the plains! And things just escalated from there (the gorilla was enough, but then another page beyond that goes even further!). I still can't give it a 4, because the work of the book is to teach me a lesson instead of helping me have an experience. But the fact that I had a little experience in the middle, and that Cordell took charge of deconstructing the message himself, kept me from giving it a 2!

The cartoon illustrations have an animator's quality about them, and the storyboarding shows the animator sensibility we have come to expect from Mo Willems and other illustrators who have worked in tv.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young girl attempts to get her family's attention in this picture-book from author/artist Matthew Cordell, only to find that everyone is too absorbed in their electronic devices to pay her any attention. She wanders out into the real world, where her "hellos" to various flora and fauna result in a wild, exultant horseback ride. Returning home, she presents little tokens to her family-members, wooing them out into the world as well...

I enjoyed hello! hello!, which pairs a minimal text with incredibly expressive artwork. Cordell, who won a Caldecott Medal earlier this year (2018) for his Wolf in the Snow , at first depicts his main character and her world with a limited color palette, utilizing subtler shades and lots of white space on the page. The colors get bolder and more profuse as the story progresses, until the two-page "Hello, World" spread presents an explosion of color and excitement. This change parallels the story in an effective way, highlighting how much we miss, when we stay glued to electronic devices, instead of looking at the natural world around us. This one would make a good companion piece to Patrick McDonnell's Tek: The Modern Cave Boy , which also features a story about the drawbacks of staying permanently connected to one's devices. Recommended to Matthew Cordell fans, and to anyone looking for children's stories about stepping away from electronic gadgets and getting out into nature.

[Donalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lydia breaks free from cell phones and gadgets, discovering the freedom of her imagination. Simple, but poignant story. This would pair nicely with Blackout.

[midnightfaerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful book about leaving the technical world behind and immersing yourself in nature and your own imagination. A great lesson and an easy read, all my children enjoyed this one.

[babyhippoface · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lydia, like nearly all of us at some time or another--usually when our phone battery is dead--would like a little personal interaction, but the members of her family cannot look up from their computer screens, cell phones, or electronic tablets long enough to talk to her.

With a sigh, she heads outdoors to see if there's anything out there worth her attention. Indeed, she finds a whole world out there, one that everyone else is missing.

Not sure how kids will like this but there's something about it that is genuinely...genuine. Lydia's parents do care about her, and are worried when she disappears without a word. He brother loves her and worries, too. While some might argue that this is more of a grown-up book, a commentary on society, kids will get it, too. They've tried to talk to someone who was too immersed in something else. For us, it was the newspaper. For today's kids, it's electronic gadgets and the internet. The reconnection at the end is what really matters.

This could be a good discussion-starter for upper elementary and middle school groups.

[Holly Mueller · Rating 5 out of 5]

So excited to receive a signed copy in the mail from Mr. Schu! This book is so cute and funny, but poignant at the same time. We need to put down our technology (ironic, I know, since I'm posting this after checking Twitter and Facebook) and pay attention to the world. Gotta love the spunky little girl headlining this story. Good companion to Blackout by John Rocco.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book about a girl who discovers the outdoors when she gives up on her technological entertainments and her family are still involved with theirs.

[Shiloah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nature is the way to go!

[Guilherme Semionato · Rating 2 out of 5]

Moratorium NOW on preachy picture books about the cold digital tech world.

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young girl desires to connect with life without the use of technology. She greets flora and fauna alike, face-to-face, real time, then shares with her family.

[Am Y · Rating 2 out of 5]

Falls short of being a good children's book. The message is that we should all strive to connect with Nature more rather than be cooped up indoors glued to our tech devices. But the way the story conveys this is not entertaining, meaningful, nor realistic.

[Angelica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zap, Beep, Pow, Game Over, Loading, Loading, Loading, No Signal. In this story a little girl tries to find ways to amuse herself with technology such as playing video games and watching tv. But it look likes what she really craves is the attention from her family but mom is to busy working, dad is to busy on his cell phone and her brother is busy playing video games. So she decides to go outside and explore. What she finds is she doesn't really need technology to peak her imagination. She discovers so many things right outside her door and in her own backyard.

So true is it, in this day in age when there are so many things to do with technology. That it becomes so apart of our lives that we igonore the world around us. We can get lost in things like games, cell phone, social media, work. But this one little girl shows us the color around us. What starts off being black and white becomes a work of color and brightens up our days.

This book is a great picture book for preschoolers. I would use this book for a storytime geared toward 3-6 years old. They would most be fasninated with the colors and texture.

[Robin]

I'm a total nature lover. Last Child in the Woods is one of my favorite books ever. I believe in nurturing the sense of wonder in a child. But I'm seeing so many messages about how tech is bad these days that I'm having a hard time separating messagy books from really good books. I am sympathetic to the message of this one. I love the illustrations of the girl with the animals. I'm feeling very torn because I know I'm of an older generation. I'm not a digital native. But my children will be. I do want them to turn off their devices and experience nature sometimes. There is a time and place for things. I also know they will use their devices differently than I do. What about to take wonderful pictures, like for Project Noah? I'm just not sure about the place for books like this and Chloe. They seem more for nostalgic adults than for children. Who is the intended audience? What will children think?? These are just my private ramblings; I'm still sorting all this out.

[Danica Midlil · Rating 2 out of 5]

What I learned from this book:
If you give up your electronic devices, you will meet a magical horse who will let you ride her. Then in Noah's Ark like fashion, one of every kind of animal will run in a parade with you (or in the case of fish, fly), but don't let your cell phone ring because that will ruin everything. Luckily, you secretly know that all your dad actually wants to do is ride a flying whale instead of doing his work, so all can be forgiven.

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to love this -- and did -- more and more, with each leafy hello and through the glorious stampede of animal hellos. Heavens I love the illustrations. But my love screeched to a halt at the exact moment she got her call and winced with it. Then this became a preachy finger shake at all of us. Little girl don't touch my phone.

[Leona · Rating 4 out of 5]

after being ignored by her tech-distracted family, little girl finds connection with nature. when her family notices she's gone, she runs home and is able to show them what they've been missing by staring at screens all the time. very sweet story, evocative pics, and timely as hell.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must be missing something - isn't this preaching to the converted? Or is it a guide to help the imaginative reader reach the rest of the family? Either way, it's a bit too heavy-handed for me to recommend.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

So if I put my phone down, can I ride a whale?!

[Patricia Lamoza · Rating 3 out of 5]

There isn't a lot of subtlety in this book by Caldecott Winner (Wolf in the Snow 2018) Matthew Cordell. We begin with a series of vignettes, a young girl wanders through her home, attempting to connect with her mother, father, and little brother, but they are all too busy with their screens. They are drawn as monochrome characters, obviously alluding to their lack of imagination, fun, life force. Restless, she ventures outside, where the reader encounters a colorful tree. As she meanders through the outdoors, she greets each piece of nature with growing enthusiasm. As we get deeper into the story, the pages become more colorful until the full bleed illustration of the girl flying through the air on a horse. Cordell is amazing at the dramatic page turn! When her phone rings and her parents summon her home, she brings with her a few tokens of the outside world and is able to lure them outside where they, too, are drawn in full color. But the story doesn't end there. He pushes and pushes the edge of improbable, including at first other four-legged animals you might find in a field and then that you would find in a jungle but then adds flying fish and a gigantic blue whale! Even I had to giggle a bit at the nonsense.
Obvious as it is, I do appreciate the message, and it is told with a sense of humor and a note of hope.

[Hannah-Grace Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fiction children's book with minimal words. It tells the story of a little girl who wants to play with her family, but they are all too busy on their technology to even give her the time of day. It isn't until she goes outside that she is able to say "hello" to the world around her! She eventually brings her family outdoors, and they are able to say hello too!

This book was super powerful for having minimal words. It emphasizes the importance of being present, and putting down your phone to go and enjoy the beautiful world!

This book could for sure be used in a classroom! I would use this in an upper level class in elementary school. You could read the story to your class, and have them brainstorm ideas on how to get off the technology and go outside! You could then have them write a persuasive essay about the importance of putting the technology away, and have them share their alternative ideas. This activity would be super beneficial to the kids, as they are often hooked on their devices. Having an open discussion about the importance of putting the technology away would be very good for the students.

[Steve Holden · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the concept and lesson behind this one. A family is taught by a child to release their hold on all of the gadgets and technology to discover new things to be done together. I do worry about the reliance of all of us put on technology, and wonder how families balance it in their households. I grew up before this craze and ease of so much into every household. My wife and I certainly have our own struggles with technology and trying to keep ourselves free of the dependent feeling technology and gadgets can so easily bring. I can only imagine the struggles felt with children. This is a good book to share and bring up for discussion.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I found so wonderful about this book is that it shares an issue about technology that I don't think our kids even realize. In fourth grade they think that technology is everything, and honestly, it limits their imaginations for writing. They simply take things that they already know from video games and rehash it into a story. Now, I encourage my students to use texts as mentor texts and copy things they like, try it on for size, but I'd like them to look beyond what they see literally, or certainly beyond just what they see every day to risk and try something new. This book may, or may not, make my point, but it just might give them something to think about.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young girl disengages from electronic devices, goes outside, and engages with nature and her imagination.

The illustrator makes excellent use of color. The figures using electronic devices are drawn in grayscale, and the figures interacting with nature as well the natural images are done in full color. There is also a creative use of fonts.

Another picture book about disconnecting from electronic devices and connecting with nature is Unplugged.

[Juliana Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lydia is bored with her video game, but when she goes to see what her family is doing she sees that they are all to busy with their own technology to say hello to her. Lured by a leaf floating in the door, Lydia goes outside and says hello to nature. Everything is real until a horse says hello to her. Then she starts meeting other wild animals including a dinosaur who all say hello to her. Sucked into her imaginary world, Lydia is only called back by a phone call from home. Everyone was wondering where she was until she introduces them back to nature.

[Olivia S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this story. It's mostly told through illustrations and text formatting, which is cool. Lydia refuses the stilted communication of technology for the natural world, and guides her family there too. Very simple story, cool illustrations. Goes from black and white (technology) to brightly coloured (nature). Not sure what age I would use this for...the simplicity of the text and the good pictures work for little ones, but I think to really understand what's going on, they'd have to be 5+.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book to read to students and parents as a reminder to put your screens down and live in our real world. Tech draws us in to be very self centered and not live in the here and now. This book shows what can happen when you do.

I notice this happening all over in all countries. I always wonder where and what it is leading to. If you don't join them, you are left out..... Is that a good thing or bad?

[Annie Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an almost wordless book, but it clearly gets the picture across. Lydia is frustrated with her family on their devices, so she goes outside and finds that nature will say hello back to her. Then when her parents worry about where she is, she comes home, takes their devices, and shows them how wonderful it is to be outside.

This book is gorgeous, and very well done. It would be a great conversation starter with a class of kids about our devices and how they can be distracting.

[Amy Oberts · Rating 2 out of 5]

A picture book geared toward young listeners/readers that presents the concept of "looking up" or "away from screens" to actively engage in the world and to imagine new possibilities.

Publication Date: 2012
Elements: Simple watercolors, text; typography that mimics 1970s/1980s digital text
Connection/Topics: Value of "disconnecting" from technology and relating with people and the world in which we live

[Aimée · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein Mädchen versucht, mit ihrer Familie Kontakt aufzunehmen, doch alle starren nur auf ihre Bildschirme. Als eines Tages ein Blatt hereinweht, geht sie neugierig nach draußen und entdeckt eine völlig neue Welt. Erneut: Schade, dass es so Bücher heutzutage gibt, aber gegen einen Ritt auf einem Dino und einem Blauwal kann ja niemand was einwenden, oder? Wunderschöne Illustrationen, die gegen Ende minimal abstrus werden.