Hello! is That Grandma?

by Ian Whybrow

Imagine you dialled a wrong number - and got through to a sheep - then a cow - then a duck - then a very hungry crocodile. And all you wanted to do was wish your grandma Happy Birthday!

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Animals, Childrens, Storytime, Humor, Juvenile

208 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2007

About the author

Ian Whybrow is a British writer of children's books, first published in 1989. He has written over 100 books for children, has been translated into 27 languages and is published in 28 countries. His books are humorous and range from picture books to novels, short stories and poetry.

Reviews

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled onto this book as I was going through my repair pile at work. It was so funny I started sharing it to my co-workers.
A young boy picks up the phone and dials random numbers hoping to reach his grandma. The lift the flap pages reveal the various animals that he connects with. They are all very busy but very polite in letting him know that this is NOT Grandma. One of his random numbers connects him with crocodile who would very much like to HAVE Logan for lunch. Finally the phone rings and it is Grandma inviting him to a party at her house. All her friends are there to celebrate with her - they are of course the animals that Logan inadvertently dialed trying to reach Grandma. But guess who wasn't invited? Such a fun ending.

[Leelo · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book for storytime or bedtime! The little boy is trying to get call his grandmother on the phone but he keeps calling wrong numbers--instead, he reaches Sheep and Cow. We learn what sounds they make and he tries again. It's really fun and could be interactive and would keep everybody interested in the story. It's not too wordy so it's perfect for pre-k or k students.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This laugh out loud funny book appeals to many ages but I would still with preschool and the right toddler groups. Logan is trying to call grandma on the phone but keeps getting animals whoa re too busy to talk to him. where are they all headed and what about that pesky crocodile?

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book. Love the lift the flaps. Has a great message about giving out your information and being careful with who you are talking to on the phone.

[Ron Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the flap format. Next best thing to pop-ups.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

In trying to call his Grandma, young Logan accidentally calls a sheep, a duck and a cow who are all very busy. On his fourth try, he gets a crocodile who asks Logan to come over so he can eat him for lunch. Finally, Logan’s grandmother calls and invites Logan to a party at her home. All the characters were there except the scary crocodile, who ate his cookbook since he didn’t get Logan for lunch. Cute illustrations and the use of flaps to reveal the characters Logan gets on the phone and are entertaining and suspenseful. It ends with another mention to not use the phone at the table because its rude. Useful, fun text in making the theme of using caution talking to strangers accessible to a young audience.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A contemporary grandma tale that has a sweet take on how much babies and toddlers love the phone. Cute illustrations and a nice rhythm to the text. I especially like the message at the end - talking on your phone at the table is very rude (it's not too early to emphasize this if cellphone etiquette in the library is any indication).

[Michelle Farella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the concept of this book but I feel that so much more could have been done to make the lift the flap parts more engaging. A clue as to what would be under the flap would draw the children into the story more and allow the reader to ask the child questions and point to clues about what the hidden animal is.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Looked at this because a co-worked recommended it and was wondering about adding it to the Storytelling Collection; the illustrations are adorable. The whole crocodile thing was puzzling to me; it didn't really add anything to the story, and when I edited it out just to see, the story wasn't missing anything in my opinion and even read a bit better as it is a bit long.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't wait to try this one in Family Storytime! It's a cute read aloud about a little boy who tries to call his Grandma but keeps getting the wrong number and calling a variety of wacky animals instead. I know my Storytime kids will love to make the phone noises!

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

little boy can't seem to get grandma on the phone but instead calls a sheep, cow and duck. fun illustrations. fold out pages to expose who he has called. crocodile who invited the boy over for "logan soup" is left hungry and frustrated.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Corbin loves this story about a boy that is trying to call his grandma, but instead dials the number to sheep, cow, duck, and crocodile. My son loves the phone, so this was a great read for him. The illustrations are sweet too.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is fairly cute. But the ending is a little weird. For my hello/goodbye storytime theme I don't think I'll read the last couple pages.
But I might include the "don't use your phone at the table" bit in the future the next time I do a manners storytime.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clearly written before speed-dial! How could the boy mess up his Grandma's phone number that many times?! Plus, he was clearly on Grandma's B-list for invites...otherwise, she'd have invited him to her party more than 10 minutes before it started.

Cute story, though.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute baby book.

[Angie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The illustrations are colorful, but that's all I liked about this book.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I added this one, we've read this book at least 10 times! My kids just love it, and since I like it too, I'm willing to read it over and over again.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little boy tries to call and invite his grandmother to his house for her birthday party, but dials the numbers for duck, cow, and sheep instead.

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hallie's current favorite "grandma" books. She pretty much has it memorized, but she still pulls it out and wants grandma to read it to her.

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

my son loves it

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is cute, but it ends kind of weird. I just kind of skimmed over the end. If I read it again, I might skip the last page.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cute! Fun and silly animal flip book about using the phone.

[Hall · Rating 2 out of 5]

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