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First West Coast Books #1
Hello Humpback!
With bright and bold illustrations of the wild and magical West Coast by celebrated artist Roy Henry Vickers, this sturdy board book will delight babies and toddlers as they begin to experience and recognize the sights and sounds of the natural world. Hello Humpback!, a "first words" book, introduces iconic West Coast animals, from hungry sea otters to hopping orcas, and is sure to become an instant classic.
20 pages, Board Book
First published January 1, 2017
70 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
November 30, 2017
Amazing illustrations for the simple words in this book. My son loved the texture as well.
August 26, 2017
This book makes me happy. The rhythm and rhyming pattern have much to do with it. There's a tactile component to the illustrations that encourages the reader to caress the illustrations. Even without this, they are spectacular. Traditional renditions of different animals and plants are highlighted against exuberantly colourful backgrounds. One page is filled with a variety of labeled ocean animals and plants. This does interrupt the flow of the story, but will be appealing for readers to go back and pore over. Don't take my word for it, click on the following link and you can see a bit of it for yourself.
http://www.harbourpublishing.com/titl...
I'm going to have to purchase copies for my grand babies!
http://www.harbourpublishing.com/titl...
I'm going to have to purchase copies for my grand babies!
September 9, 2019
Just lovely! I told myself I was going to donate it to my library when I get home but I can already tell I'll be keeping the west coast wonders for me. Seriously, every page is a wonder and I look forward to flipping through it on a regular basis.
update 9/8/2019
The start of the new school year has me pining for all things past Canadian vacations. Yesss, tell it chatty raven and creepy octopus.
update 9/8/2019
The start of the new school year has me pining for all things past Canadian vacations. Yesss, tell it chatty raven and creepy octopus.
September 14, 2017
What a beautiful book! I absolutely love Roy Henry Vickers illustrations, he is a fabulous artist!! Robert Budd is a very talented young man whom I had not heard of before I read an article about him and Mr. Vickers teaming up to do this book. I will have to keep an eye out for more works by him. Excellent job gentlemen, keep up the good work!!
This book will truly delight youngsters and their parents too. A great tribute to the West Coast of Canada.
This book will truly delight youngsters and their parents too. A great tribute to the West Coast of Canada.
July 22, 2017
Beautiful illustrations, lovely rhymes. Great book for little ones to learn about different animals and culture of the PNW.
My only issue was the ocean page in the middle that had the many different animals illustrated and named. It really seemed to throw off the flow of the book, the rhyme/cadence, etc. Kids probably wouldn't be bothered by it, though.
My only issue was the ocean page in the middle that had the many different animals illustrated and named. It really seemed to throw off the flow of the book, the rhyme/cadence, etc. Kids probably wouldn't be bothered by it, though.
March 7, 2017
Beautiful board book of West Coast First Nations artwork.
April 18, 2017
Diverse artwork and styles in children's books isn't something I thought I needed until right now!
August 19, 2017
Raised visuals. Striking contrast in colours.
September 7, 2022
The illustrations were just stunning - gorgeous colors! - and Benji especially loved touching the raised illustrations - what a unique technique!
October 31, 2017
Lovely artwork. Simple rhyming text. Not very literal. Makes me want to visit the Pacific Northwest.
March 5, 2022
Beautiful tactile pictures! It's not super obvious, but there's a little bump on the page...and it makes the pictures oh-so-pretty!
Read
April 28, 2022I really loved
A Is for Anemone
, so when I learned it was 5th in a series, I eagerly got the other books in the series. Alas, I did not like any of them as much as A Is for Anemone -- though they're not bad.
This is the first in the series, introducing us to the natural world of the West Coast of what is now widely called Canada.
There is technically a rhyme scheme (e.g., "Hello salmon // Bear and trees // Flowing river / Calm seas"), but (in part because I paused each page to really take in the illustrations) it doesn't feel like there's a particular narrative flow to the book -- it's just a collection of items/images. (Text of the full book:)
The colors are really stunning at times -- especially the last two 2-page spreads. And there's some neat use of embossing -- specifically a shimmering image of a fish in the water on the "Flowing river" page (the non-embossed image is a person on a pier with a fishing pole, so it's a really smart effect).
It's also not overly romanticized -- we open with a school of salmon and then turn the page to "bear and trees," where the bear is trailed not only by its own pawprints but also by fish skeletons (presumably having eaten some of the salmon we just said hello to).
This is the first in the series, introducing us to the natural world of the West Coast of what is now widely called Canada.
There is technically a rhyme scheme (e.g., "Hello salmon // Bear and trees // Flowing river / Calm seas"), but (in part because I paused each page to really take in the illustrations) it doesn't feel like there's a particular narrative flow to the book -- it's just a collection of items/images. (Text of the full book:)
The colors are really stunning at times -- especially the last two 2-page spreads. And there's some neat use of embossing -- specifically a shimmering image of a fish in the water on the "Flowing river" page (the non-embossed image is a person on a pier with a fishing pole, so it's a really smart effect).
It's also not overly romanticized -- we open with a school of salmon and then turn the page to "bear and trees," where the bear is trailed not only by its own pawprints but also by fish skeletons (presumably having eaten some of the salmon we just said hello to).
March 9, 2018
A board book. Very neat illustrations by "celebrated First Nations artist Roy Henry Vickers". If I was using this for a story time I might skip the "ocean blue" page, which is a bit overwhelming with the number of listed creatures, and doesn't really fit in with the rest of the book. Super simple, two words per page. The version I have at my library is quite small, so maybe not as good for storytimes.
September 14, 2019
Very unique board book. It focuses on the nature of the US west coast. This title is done by a First Nations artist and the native artistic expression is depicted throughout the book. Also the illustrations contain various amounts of raised elements which also gives a toddler the experience of touch. I especially liked the eagles’ nest illustration.
Excellent.
Excellent.
October 9, 2020
Read this to my 5-month-old today and we enjoyed it so much! Lovely illustrations by a First Nations artist with texture on some of the elements. We had fun running her hands over the smooth objects on the pages. Plus there was enough contrast that she was engaged. Nice diverse vocabulary, too: “breaching orca,” as an example.
August 5, 2018
Boyo really likes the tactile nature of the pictures. It's a fun little poem with beautiful illustrations. I just wish there was an explanation for some of the symbology, but I suppose I shouldn't expect that in a board book. :)
October 28, 2025
A sweet, simple introduction to west coast wildlife for babies!
AGES 0-2
This book makes a perfect gift or addition to your child’s library! The indigenous artwork beautifully illustrates the region’s nature, and textured pages will help engage a baby during reading.
AGES 0-2
This book makes a perfect gift or addition to your child’s library! The indigenous artwork beautifully illustrates the region’s nature, and textured pages will help engage a baby during reading.
August 26, 2017
Very pretty little board book with First Nations art
February 14, 2018
Very beautiful art. It’s stunning. The bright colours and contrast are gorgeous. Some texture in the pages for baby to feel too. Aaaaaand it rhymes!
April 11, 2018
What a gorgeous book. I love the pictures so much. It would probably be better in a one on one reading situation than a group.
August 20, 2018
Very vivid colors in this book about West Coast (US) animals and geography. Some of the illustrations are raised for a textural experience with the book.
February 13, 2019
My toddler likes the raised pictures
November 29, 2019
I looooove the illustrations and I love how they're embossed so there's an added tactile element. The use of color in the art is also very striking and engaging.
December 29, 2019
In simple words and bright vivid pictures nature and animals are shown. Baby and up
June 14, 2021
A fine little toddler’s book containing beautiful first nation’s art.
November 28, 2021
Really liked the illustrations
January 19, 2022
Baby loved the textures of this book!
January 29, 2023
Wow, beautiful indigenous-style art. The pictures and the use of texture make this book shine.
December 25, 2023
Beautiful illustrations. Such a peaceful and calming book.
February 15, 2024
The art is stunning in this book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews