Hi!

Animal Words

by Ethan Long

A string of comically stylized animals greet each other in masterfully rhyming couplets—an owl’s “hoo” is answered by a cow’s “moo”; a crow’s “caw” is returned with a donkey’s “hee-haw”—all leading up to the “hi!” and “good-bye!” of a human toddler and his mom! The first in a brand-new board book series on animal (and human) first words by award-winning author and illustrator Ethan Long.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Storytime, Kids

20 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 5, 2015

About the author

Ethan Long is a popular, award-winning and internationally recognized children's book author and illustrator with over 70 children's books, a Theodor Seuss Geisel Award and an Emmy-nominated television series to his credit. Just about all of his awake time is spent writing stories, drawing pictures and spending time with his family. Since graduating from Ringling College of Art and Design in 1991, Ethan has never stopped evolving, challenging his creative approach with each new project while constantly honing his instantly identifiable style. Born and raised in Central Pennsylvania, his childhood memories serve as inspiration for many of his drawings and stories. He currently lives with his wife and three children in beautiful Orlando, Florida, USA and flip flops seamlessly between being a world famous children's book author and a stay-at-home dad.

Reviews

[Cristina Quattrone · Rating 5 out of 5]

My almost-one-year-old’s favorite book

[Shannonmde]

Finn giggled.

[Natalie Pietro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this might be my 1 year olds favorite book. He carries it around and always wants me to read it. Plus he laughs so hard when I make the silly animal sounds. Such a fun book.

[Itty Bitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hi is a new book for itty bitty and I that we picked up at a consignment sale. It’s the first book in the animal sounds series Good Night and Thank You is the 2nd and 3rd books. Hi, is a very simple easy one word page book that rhymes which is a plus. It shows you and your little one how different animals say hello. A lot can be done with this book. You can read it aloud to your child while pointing out the different animals and the sounds they make. As you are making the sound to show your child, you can also point out different colors and or shapes. When a little thought is put into it there are a lot of different ways to make this book fun and educational. https://wp.me/s9wsgO-hi

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each page has a bright, colorful drawing of an animal say hi (e.g. owl "hoo" and cow "moo"). When we get to the end they are all saying hi to a little boy who says hi to his mom and bye to the animals. No story line, but a great interactive, "What does this animal say?" book for the youngest story time kids. The illustrations really are vivid and wonderful.

[Heather McC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Say 'hello' to a menagerie of animals in any way you prefer. Author Ethan Long utilizes rhyming to introduce young readers to birds, bears, wolves, dogs, cats, and even people! This book is excellent for a second or third read, with readers throwing in authentic animal noises for good measure.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

cute book. different animal sounds that rhyme, phrased as if they're saying hi. things like caw and hee-haw! very cute. would get again.

[Matthew S. Zielinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jacob loved reading this book as a 1st grader and James loved learning how to "read" this book at 3 years old. They loved this book and kept reading it nearly every day.

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super simple. One word per page. Great for learning the sounds each animal makes.

[Sarah Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The smol loves this book - giggles with delight and asks for it to be read. I have a problem with the yak saying yak, which is why this doesn't get five stars :)

[Heather Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

lily summer reading 2018, board book, animals,

[Owen and Nathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It has just one word per page... kind of boring

[Dolores · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter loves this. She can read it and it makes her super proud. If I read it and do the animal sounds she giggles a ton. Great book for younger toddlers.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute board book.

[Andrea Scarlet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I REALLY get a kick out of this one. Mom makes the animal noises and waves as we read, so it’s like the book comes to life every time. 10/10 would recommend.

[Tony Loyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who knew so many animal noises rhymed? I found the way the artist got the mother and boy to look at the reader at the end was very effective but also a little unnerving.

[TFE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good animals sounds, mostly interested

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great for babies at the babbling stage. Each page is a different animal sound that encourages speech sound development. “Hi” goes beyond the barnyard to include animals such as yaks and wolves. If you have an older child, there is a page at the back toddlers can use to point out which animal makes what noise.

[Kathryn (Dragon Bite Books) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog, Nine Pages .

This is a board book primer of animal sounds (though some of these are less readily associated with their animals like “yak” and “slurp”) and two basic English words: “hi” and “good-bye.” The animals’ sounds are in rhyming pairs, so I suppose it makes sense to have the final pages be the human “hi” and “good-bye” but the switch to human seems abrupt after all the pages of nonsensical animal sounds. Had the book opened with the “hi,” the animals’ sounds would have seemed like responses. Pairing the animals with images of day and night might have implied a “hi” and “good-bye” meaning to the sounds. Most of the images are set during daytime with each animal in its natural setting. Each animal waves to the one on the opposing page. Perhaps they were all meant to be saying hello (that was my first assumption), or maybe they are paired hellos and goodbyes. Because there is a page with all the animals and the boy opposite and finally the boy’s “hi” and the mom’s “good-bye” to the reader, perhaps the context is meant to be the animals’ greeting one another training the boy to greet his mother in his own tongue, but that’s hazy at best. There’s just no way to know the meaning behind the sounds, and that disappoints me, but the colors are bright and the illustrations welcoming.

[Megababy · Rating 3 out of 5]

11/11/17 - I didn't even remember that we got this book before last year, and neither did mom. Or maybe we didn't get it, but only read it while we were sitting at the library, since it was only read once. Either way... mom thinks this book is really good, but I only think it's ok. She likes to make the noises I think, and something about rhymes. But I usually get bored partway through and didn't let her read it very much. Also for a long time mom and dad thought the end of the book came because there is a page with no words and just a picture of all the animals we saw before. But then one time I turned the page, and there were more words! Confusing.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wide eyed little boy says "Hi" but what do the animals say? In each set of pages you can find the rhyming animal sounds to discover who howls, growls, chirps or slurps. Images of all the bright eyed birds and animals are also shown near the end of the book so you can quiz a young reader about what sound each one makes before you have to say goodbye to this little guy. This board book would surely entertain a young one with the bright colors while also offering a chance to learn a few fun words about animal sounds.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple rhyming board book introduces young readers to some of the sounds animals make. Starting with an owl's hooted greeting, a cow moos in response, with each facing page being a closely related rhyming word or phrase. The book concludes with a pigeon's coo, answered in turn by an owl. Although some of the rhymes and scenes don't necessarily math perfectly, they are certainly fun to read and say. The very last page features a child and an adult greeting one another. I liked the colorful scenes and the fun that reading this book brings.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute boardbook of different animal sounds-how they say "hi". Illustrations are bright and clear, perfect for young eyes and show the animals doing their thing - cat with ball of yarn, crow in a cornfield, etc.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book of animal sounds. A boy says, "Hi!" The animal world around him responds in kind, one animal per page, one greeting per animal. Simple. Straight to the point. The animal sounds rhyme with one another on corresponding pages. Not bad for a beginner book.

[Asho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very charming illustrations in this cute, colorful book. My toddler likes hearing me name the animals as well as make their rhyming sounds. She attempted the word "yak" after reading this book for the first time, which was very cute.

[Carrie Gelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for our buddy reading bin for K reading! So cute!

[Tin Cheung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Animals have different ways to say hi! Great animal rhymes with fun pictures.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute animal sounds book that rhymes.

Good for toddler storytimes.

[Abbie]

A yak does not say "yak"
Other than that, good for 12-18 month olds or bossy siblings

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super cute. Young children will love it and I'm sure will ask for repeat readings.