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Say Hello!
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. 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.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
12 people are currently reading
460 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Isadora
90 books80 followersRachel Isadora is an award-winning children's author and illustrator. She has written children's books on multiple topics including ballet, life in America and Africa, and has illustrated several Brother Grimm tales in an African setting. She is most well-known for her Caldecott Honor Award book "Ben's Trumpet". She was a ballet dancer before she became an illustrator and children's writer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
March 28, 2011
Carmelita and her mother go on a visit and on their way pass through their multicultural town. They exchange greetings in many languages as they pass friends from diverse backgrounds.
Rachel Isadora's collage illustrations are delightful here. I really enjoyed all the details, the attention to the attire of the various people and decorations in the shops in the town. (Of course, it might have been more accurate to show that some of the people from other background don't always dress in traditional/native clothes, but that would have been far less interesting in terms of illustrations.) This is a nice way to show friendly interactions between people from diverse cultural backgrounds. I think my favorite aspect is that the dog speaks a universal language ;-)
Recommended for fans of Rachel Isadora's work and/or those who enjoy multicultural stories.
Rachel Isadora's collage illustrations are delightful here. I really enjoyed all the details, the attention to the attire of the various people and decorations in the shops in the town. (Of course, it might have been more accurate to show that some of the people from other background don't always dress in traditional/native clothes, but that would have been far less interesting in terms of illustrations.) This is a nice way to show friendly interactions between people from diverse cultural backgrounds. I think my favorite aspect is that the dog speaks a universal language ;-)
Recommended for fans of Rachel Isadora's work and/or those who enjoy multicultural stories.
October 28, 2016
"Say Hello" by Rachel Isadora is a multicultural picture book that is about a little Spanish girl named Carmelita who goes around her neighborhood with her mom and dog saying hello to everyone in different languages. They continue to walk around the neighborhood and go to a restaurant, bakery, a butcher, a pizza place, the park, and ice cream truck and finally end up visiting their friend or family member named Abuela Rose. The tone of the book is cheerful and light, and everyone she says hello to, says hi back with an exclamation point. The humor in the story is found within Carmelita's pet dog Manny, who barks "Woof" every time they say hello to someone. Everyone changes their language to say hello, but every page the dog goes "Woof!". It's rather silly when they stop for ice cream and the dog goes "Woof" so Carmelita tells her mom, "That means Manny wants some too".The languages represented in this book are Arabic, French, Italian, Spanish, Swahili, Japanese, Chinese and Hebrew. I do recommend this book because it's great for very young children (Pre-k through first or second grade), to introduce and expose them to to different languages and culture. I only give this book three stars though because it's a rather "flat" book and extremely simplistic, I would not use this to generate deep discussions or critical thinking. There is a few vague characters to get to know, an order sequence as Carmelita walks through her town, and some different ways to say hello, but not much else. This story is still worthwhile to read to young children, but it cannot appeal to older children or adults because its not complex and there isn't any explicit multiple meanings.
I probably would not say this picture book is high quality children's literature because of the dialogue and brevity of it, the lack of meaning that one expects in a multicultural book today, and the idealized nature of it. However, the illustrations alone are unique and provide more depth to the story. The pictures look as if they are made with fingerprint paints combined with collaged words that are make up part of the images instead of the dialogue. For example, in the pizza shop you can see text that says "Fast Free Delivery", with a collaged over a textured wood print. The characters skin has a lot of texture and many colors are used to match with the diversity that Carmelita is seeing in her neighborhood. Even most of the "hellos" are blended into the image, rather than the narrative text thats shown in the white spaces. Also, the colors are rich and and every color looks as if its flowing into the next. Everyone is wearing vibrant clothes and all the store fronts are bright and saturated with color which really adds to the tone of happiness the story is trying to convey.
Yet, the plot of the story is overly simplistic and idealistic in two ways. First, it treats as if everyone knows each other's languages, gets along perfectly and understands and respects other people's cultures. In the real world, we know that is almost always not the case, and often people may avoid people of a different culture or race because of the lack of understanding. We need idealistic books to show us what the world could be, but this book will not help children in navigating their way through our globalized world. By going up to someone and saying hi in their language, may not result in friendship or understanding. Secondly, this book really perpetuates stereotypes, or at least uses generic examples or different cultures. For example, when Carmelita goes in a pastry shop, their is a French person running it, when she goes in a sushi restaurant, there is a Japanese person... when she goes in an urban park their is an African American person saying, "Yo, Wuzzup".
So why can't an Italian person be running a Sushi shop? I understand this book is trying to attribute traditions and things within certain cultures to people's races, but I think it's a very one sided book. When Carmelita says to an African American person, "You're one smart snoop dawg", what if they do not even know who that rapper is? Solely because one is African American does not mean they are connected to "snoop dawg". This book fails to show any complexity of the multicultural genre and it presents diversity in a rather limited and uniform view. No one person is a identical because of the group they belong to, so "Say Hello" by Rachel Isadora is not a book I would recommend to truly show what a multicultural world is.
I probably would not say this picture book is high quality children's literature because of the dialogue and brevity of it, the lack of meaning that one expects in a multicultural book today, and the idealized nature of it. However, the illustrations alone are unique and provide more depth to the story. The pictures look as if they are made with fingerprint paints combined with collaged words that are make up part of the images instead of the dialogue. For example, in the pizza shop you can see text that says "Fast Free Delivery", with a collaged over a textured wood print. The characters skin has a lot of texture and many colors are used to match with the diversity that Carmelita is seeing in her neighborhood. Even most of the "hellos" are blended into the image, rather than the narrative text thats shown in the white spaces. Also, the colors are rich and and every color looks as if its flowing into the next. Everyone is wearing vibrant clothes and all the store fronts are bright and saturated with color which really adds to the tone of happiness the story is trying to convey.
Yet, the plot of the story is overly simplistic and idealistic in two ways. First, it treats as if everyone knows each other's languages, gets along perfectly and understands and respects other people's cultures. In the real world, we know that is almost always not the case, and often people may avoid people of a different culture or race because of the lack of understanding. We need idealistic books to show us what the world could be, but this book will not help children in navigating their way through our globalized world. By going up to someone and saying hi in their language, may not result in friendship or understanding. Secondly, this book really perpetuates stereotypes, or at least uses generic examples or different cultures. For example, when Carmelita goes in a pastry shop, their is a French person running it, when she goes in a sushi restaurant, there is a Japanese person... when she goes in an urban park their is an African American person saying, "Yo, Wuzzup".
So why can't an Italian person be running a Sushi shop? I understand this book is trying to attribute traditions and things within certain cultures to people's races, but I think it's a very one sided book. When Carmelita says to an African American person, "You're one smart snoop dawg", what if they do not even know who that rapper is? Solely because one is African American does not mean they are connected to "snoop dawg". This book fails to show any complexity of the multicultural genre and it presents diversity in a rather limited and uniform view. No one person is a identical because of the group they belong to, so "Say Hello" by Rachel Isadora is not a book I would recommend to truly show what a multicultural world is.
April 3, 2011
I loved this book. I found it heartwarming and I got a chuckle when the dog gave a hello bark on every page.
I’m a sucker for books such as this. Little girl. Check. Dog. Check. Multi-cultural neighborhood. Check. Learning words in other languages. Check. (In this case it’s the word hello, in many languages: Arabic, French, Spanish (2 ways in Spanish!), Italian, Swahili, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, and Hebrew, not in that order. Not making the list at the end, but within the story, is I guess what might be called urban dialect versions of hello, and Manny’s “Woof!” contribution as well.) Wonderful collage illustrations. Check. Check. Check.
A little girl Carmelita, her mother, and the girl’s dog Manny walk through their neighborhood and greet everyone they encounter, and also participate a bit in what the neighborhood has to offer; they’re on their way to visit Carmelita’s grandmother, Abuela Rosa. It’s a very simple story, and it’s suitable for even the youngest child, but it’s also appropriate for kids up to eight. And if it’s reread, readers/listeners will probably learn to say hello in all the included languages. While the story is simple, I found it very touching. The inside front and back covers consist of all the hello words found within the story, including woof. In addition to hello, some other Spanish words are included, as are additional words in other languages via store signs
And, the illustrations, done in collage, are superb. I love how it’s obvious that wood was one of the mediums used and delighted to discover it’s a wonderful way to show human skin. All the animals are wonderfully done. The bakery and ice cream items are very appealing. There is so much to view on each page. I could spent hours looking at this book, and I’m sure I would have had I read it as a child; I’d have had every page memorized, I am sure. And, even the pigeons look appealing.
4 ½ stars
I’m a sucker for books such as this. Little girl. Check. Dog. Check. Multi-cultural neighborhood. Check. Learning words in other languages. Check. (In this case it’s the word hello, in many languages: Arabic, French, Spanish (2 ways in Spanish!), Italian, Swahili, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, and Hebrew, not in that order. Not making the list at the end, but within the story, is I guess what might be called urban dialect versions of hello, and Manny’s “Woof!” contribution as well.) Wonderful collage illustrations. Check. Check. Check.
A little girl Carmelita, her mother, and the girl’s dog Manny walk through their neighborhood and greet everyone they encounter, and also participate a bit in what the neighborhood has to offer; they’re on their way to visit Carmelita’s grandmother, Abuela Rosa. It’s a very simple story, and it’s suitable for even the youngest child, but it’s also appropriate for kids up to eight. And if it’s reread, readers/listeners will probably learn to say hello in all the included languages. While the story is simple, I found it very touching. The inside front and back covers consist of all the hello words found within the story, including woof. In addition to hello, some other Spanish words are included, as are additional words in other languages via store signs
And, the illustrations, done in collage, are superb. I love how it’s obvious that wood was one of the mediums used and delighted to discover it’s a wonderful way to show human skin. All the animals are wonderfully done. The bakery and ice cream items are very appealing. There is so much to view on each page. I could spent hours looking at this book, and I’m sure I would have had I read it as a child; I’d have had every page memorized, I am sure. And, even the pigeons look appealing.
4 ½ stars
February 24, 2018
multilingual / vignettes of walking around different multiracial neighborhoods and normalizing, practicing how to say "hellow!" in different languages!!! <3 def a new staple for my storytimes!! :*-)
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August 6, 2023A student teaching gift from my ELL students. The collage art is beautiful & it's a quick, whimsical read that introduces kids to greetings in other languages.
March 14, 2019
Carmelita and her mother walk through their multicultural neighborhood to meet here abuela. The two greet every one with hello in their native language which can be a huge learning point for children. The illustrations in the book are great and really demonstrate other cultures traditional attire. The pictures are very vibrant and there are a lot of small details within each page and makes for a great picture book. I can however see how this can be offensive because people don't always dress in their traditional attire all the time. The dog also speaks a universal language which adds a cute touch for the students to enjoy. I would recommend this book to lower elementary grades k-2 just because of its simplicity. The back of the book list the different ways to say hello and what language it is so the teacher can choose to have students pick one and write. The story isn't realistic because everyone knows the others language and respects other peoples cultures. The book creates a utopia of what the real world is and the children may have difficulty relating it to their neighborhoods. The book is also extremely stereotypical as it demonstrates the different cultures. For example, the Japanese family has a sushi shop and the French family owns a bakery. Carmelita also makes a reference to a African American character about snoop dog as if all black people listen to rap music. The book presents cultures in a restricted, biases, and stereotypical matter and I would not choose this book to represent a multicultural world to students.
May 7, 2010
On her way to her Abuela Rose’s house, Carmelita greets her neighbors and learns how they say hello in their different languages. Carmelita’s dog Manny is happy to greet everyone with a friendly “Woof” that translates easily into every language. The book is set in a diverse urban neighborhood filled with friendly faces in a variety of skin tones. How do you say hello in your family or neighborhood?
Isadora has again created a book for very young readers that is inviting and fresh. The urban setting is depicted as colorful and friendly, something that young readers may not see in many picture books. Isadora includes just enough text to keep the story moving with most of the book focusing on the various greetings in each language. Her illustrations are done in cut-paper collage. They have an interesting mix of painted papers and printed ones that come together in a dynamic way. Signature Isadora style!
Recommended for toddler story times, this book will work well with young children who will be eager to repeat the unfamiliar greetings and to share those from their homes as well. Appropriate for ages 2-4.
Isadora has again created a book for very young readers that is inviting and fresh. The urban setting is depicted as colorful and friendly, something that young readers may not see in many picture books. Isadora includes just enough text to keep the story moving with most of the book focusing on the various greetings in each language. Her illustrations are done in cut-paper collage. They have an interesting mix of painted papers and printed ones that come together in a dynamic way. Signature Isadora style!
Recommended for toddler story times, this book will work well with young children who will be eager to repeat the unfamiliar greetings and to share those from their homes as well. Appropriate for ages 2-4.
December 9, 2012
Book Description: On her way to see grandma, a young girl encounters people of all different ethnicity's throughout her neighborhood and greets them in their respective languages.
Story: I liked this book for multiple reasons. The first being the interactive part of learning how to say hello in different languages. I liked even more that there was an index in the back of the book telling me the correct pronunciation of each of the ways to say hello. The story was okay, I’ve seen it done a lot of times: child leaves home on a pursuit of a destination (usually to visit grandma) and along the way she meets lots of different people in the neighborhood. I liked the versatility of all the different languages that were encountered, which seemed a lot more comprehensive than I’ve seen done in other similar books. I'd add a half star to my rating above for a total of 3 and 1/2 stars.
Illustrations: Fun, creative, and modern illustrations. I'd give the illustrations 3 and 1/2 stars.
Story: I liked this book for multiple reasons. The first being the interactive part of learning how to say hello in different languages. I liked even more that there was an index in the back of the book telling me the correct pronunciation of each of the ways to say hello. The story was okay, I’ve seen it done a lot of times: child leaves home on a pursuit of a destination (usually to visit grandma) and along the way she meets lots of different people in the neighborhood. I liked the versatility of all the different languages that were encountered, which seemed a lot more comprehensive than I’ve seen done in other similar books. I'd add a half star to my rating above for a total of 3 and 1/2 stars.
Illustrations: Fun, creative, and modern illustrations. I'd give the illustrations 3 and 1/2 stars.
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June 12, 2014Text to world:
This story really connects to the changing world around us. You can literally walk down the street and meet people that speak different languages or are from different cultures. Teaching kids to be kind and accepting in all situations is important especially in this day and age.
Questions:
1. Who does the girl want to visit?
2. What happened after Carmelita and her mom left the house?
3. If you could ask Carmelita a question, what would you ask?
4. How is Carmelita and the people she meets similar? Different? Are they more similar or different?
5. Did the dog, Manny, really understand? Why do you think so/not?
6. What inferences can you make about Carmelita as a person? Her mom?
Citation:
(2010, March 1). School Library Journal. http://www.booksinprint.com.leo.lib.u...#
This story really connects to the changing world around us. You can literally walk down the street and meet people that speak different languages or are from different cultures. Teaching kids to be kind and accepting in all situations is important especially in this day and age.
Questions:
1. Who does the girl want to visit?
2. What happened after Carmelita and her mom left the house?
3. If you could ask Carmelita a question, what would you ask?
4. How is Carmelita and the people she meets similar? Different? Are they more similar or different?
5. Did the dog, Manny, really understand? Why do you think so/not?
6. What inferences can you make about Carmelita as a person? Her mom?
Citation:
(2010, March 1). School Library Journal. http://www.booksinprint.com.leo.lib.u...#
May 26, 2010
Carmelita and her mother travel through their multi-cultural neighborhood and say hello in many languages. Some of the encounters seemed contrived. It also bothered me that the Muslim family, who owns a butcher shop, have ham hanging in the shop window. Muslims don't eat pork.
Nitpicky, I know. I have read too many picture books, lately!
Nitpicky, I know. I have read too many picture books, lately!
June 4, 2010
Carmelita and her Mama greet lots of people from different cultures in their very diverse neighborhood. They practice saying hello in many differnt ways, showing that friendliness and kindness are universal.
December 10, 2016
SO PERFECT
So many people of so many colors! A cute dog! Great illustrations! And a pronunciation guide that lets you know the language of each greeting. This is one I'll need to buy for forever.
So many people of so many colors! A cute dog! Great illustrations! And a pronunciation guide that lets you know the language of each greeting. This is one I'll need to buy for forever.
January 12, 2017
This is a fun, multicultural picture book. I always have the kids practice the different languages with me, and they get such a kick out of the dog barking after each new language.
April 28, 2021
“Say Hello” by Rachel Isadora is a story about Carmelita who walks around her community and greets the people that she sees in their own unique languages. The centralizing theme in this short story emphasizes the importance of language and empowering the diverse languages that are present within our communities and neighborhoods. This story emphasizes that although we are all different, we can learn from each other and put an effort towards acknowledging and learning more about each other and our differences in languages and cultures. When I think about the overall written quality of the book, it does not present many or any opportunities for generating deep discussions and critical thinking of each individual language that is presented. It seems that this book glosses over the emphasis of each language to develop more understanding but rather becomes extremely simplistic in the presentation of different languages. It’s interesting that we learn how to say “hello” in each language but I wish this book presented more depth in empowering and highlighting the languages presented in different ways than just having a character walk by and say hello to different people. I thought it was particularly interesting that each person was represented in their cultural clothing but it makes me think about whether or not those representations are truly accurate in depicting that specific culture and language as a whole. When I think about different cultures and languages, I think about the fact that even within a particular culture or language there are and will be many variations. As I analyzed this book, I felt like this aspect of language and culture was washed out to some extent. When I reflected on the presentation of the English language to the other languages, English was still more dominant and I wish there had been more things that had been shared about each language other than how to say “hello” in that particular language. However, I did appreciate the back matter and glossary that was found in the back of the book that presented each language that was used and its pronunciation of saying “hello” in each language which I thought was very helpful! The final thing that I wanted to highlight was the illustrations that looked like they were made from fingerprint paints combined with a variety of collages that made up particular dialogue that was found within the text. I appreciated the use of this style of illustrations which made this book show more enrichment in the cultures that were presented even if they showed one particular example from each culture and language.
March 27, 2017
Uh-Oh! is one of my son Luke's favorite books right now, so I badly wanted to include a title by Caldecott honoree Rachel Isadora for this list. She is often compared to Ezra Jack Keats for her portrayal of a diverse cast of children characters in everyday life. Say Hello! is the book I decided to include for this list because it is so effective for showing a child what language is.
Carmelita and her dog greet everyone in her neighborhood on their way to her abuela's house. They all say hello to her in their native language. Carmelita learns to say hello in Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew, English, French, Japanese, Italian, and many other languages. Hilariously, Manny, her dog, seems to understand everyone, and says his version of hello ("Woof!") on each page.
Isadora's art is as amazing as always. This book uses a collage of cut prints mixed with oil paints, and the result is colorful and dazzling.
There is nothing complicated about this book at all, which is what is so great about it. One of the first things kids are taught in ABA is social greeting reciprocity (saying hi when someone comes over, etc.). This book does nothing but model that essential skill, repeating the social interaction of greeting over and over. This is great for generalizing greetings.
Some children may be ready to learn the name of the languages that are being used when people say "Hello!", but the important thing isn't to memorize that "Ciao!" is "Hello!" in Italian (although that's pretty cool), but rather to communicate the idea of language itself. This book really works well for that purpose.
****
I review books for children from the perspective of a parent of kids with autism. The review above is from a longer blog post about books that are good for introducing race and ethnicity to kids with autism: http://www.lineupthebooks.com/10-book...
Carmelita and her dog greet everyone in her neighborhood on their way to her abuela's house. They all say hello to her in their native language. Carmelita learns to say hello in Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew, English, French, Japanese, Italian, and many other languages. Hilariously, Manny, her dog, seems to understand everyone, and says his version of hello ("Woof!") on each page.
Isadora's art is as amazing as always. This book uses a collage of cut prints mixed with oil paints, and the result is colorful and dazzling.
There is nothing complicated about this book at all, which is what is so great about it. One of the first things kids are taught in ABA is social greeting reciprocity (saying hi when someone comes over, etc.). This book does nothing but model that essential skill, repeating the social interaction of greeting over and over. This is great for generalizing greetings.
Some children may be ready to learn the name of the languages that are being used when people say "Hello!", but the important thing isn't to memorize that "Ciao!" is "Hello!" in Italian (although that's pretty cool), but rather to communicate the idea of language itself. This book really works well for that purpose.
****
I review books for children from the perspective of a parent of kids with autism. The review above is from a longer blog post about books that are good for introducing race and ethnicity to kids with autism: http://www.lineupthebooks.com/10-book...
March 18, 2021
Title (italicize): Say Hello
Author: Rachel Isadora
Illustrator (if separate from author):
Genre: Concept Book
Theme(s): Linguistic Diversity
Opening line/sentence (type directly from text): Carmelita gets up early in the morning.She helps her mama make her their favorite breakfast hues con tocino.
Brief Book Summary (2-3 sentences in your own words): This book is about a mother and a daughter meeting their abuela in the park. As they make their way down, they say hello to their friends who represent different cultures and speak different languages.
Response to Two Professional Reviews (3-4 sentences in your own words): Kirkus reviews calls this book an enchanting linguistic masterpiece. It highlights multiple languages and identifies cultural differences that many children can connect with. Publishers Weekly describes this book as a great book about diversity along with its textural pages and great pictures.
Tell Me Framework (4 sentences in your own words):
Like(s): I like how many languages are introduced in the book.
Dislike(s): I wish that there were more conversations used in the book.
Patterns(s): Carmelita and her mother say hello in each of their friends languages as they walk to the park.
Puzzle(s): How did they learn all of those languages?
Consideration of Instructional Application (3-4 sentences in your own words):An activity you can use with this book in the classroom is learning new words in different languages. This book is mostly focused on the Spanish language so you can post words in Spanish around the classroom to give children an opportunity to engage in a new language.
Author: Rachel Isadora
Illustrator (if separate from author):
Genre: Concept Book
Theme(s): Linguistic Diversity
Opening line/sentence (type directly from text): Carmelita gets up early in the morning.She helps her mama make her their favorite breakfast hues con tocino.
Brief Book Summary (2-3 sentences in your own words): This book is about a mother and a daughter meeting their abuela in the park. As they make their way down, they say hello to their friends who represent different cultures and speak different languages.
Response to Two Professional Reviews (3-4 sentences in your own words): Kirkus reviews calls this book an enchanting linguistic masterpiece. It highlights multiple languages and identifies cultural differences that many children can connect with. Publishers Weekly describes this book as a great book about diversity along with its textural pages and great pictures.
Tell Me Framework (4 sentences in your own words):
Like(s): I like how many languages are introduced in the book.
Dislike(s): I wish that there were more conversations used in the book.
Patterns(s): Carmelita and her mother say hello in each of their friends languages as they walk to the park.
Puzzle(s): How did they learn all of those languages?
Consideration of Instructional Application (3-4 sentences in your own words):An activity you can use with this book in the classroom is learning new words in different languages. This book is mostly focused on the Spanish language so you can post words in Spanish around the classroom to give children an opportunity to engage in a new language.
May 5, 2018
Say Hello! is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Rachel Isadora and is about a girl, her mother, and her dog going on a visit with her grandmother and greeting her multicultural neighbors and friends along the way.
The text is very simplistic and straightforward. It's about a little girl walking to her grandmother's house with her mother and trusty dog and greeting her neighbors along the way. It is written with such innocence and youthful vigor that it brings a smile on one's face. The illustration are beautifully rendered and reminds me of a collage or decoupage and is rather apropos to the book.
The premise of the book is rather simple with a beautiful message about connection in an ever growing multicultural world and it begins with a simple bond – saying hello. It is about a girl named Carmelita who is going to visit her grandmother, her abuela, Rosa with her mother and trusty dog Manny. Along the way, she passes through her multicultural neighborhood and says hello to all of them in their native language. We also get to see how the neighborhood is set up, by just this simple journey from a girl's home to her grandmother's. I also liked that Manny, her dog, also says hello to everyone in his own precious way – woof.
All in all, Say Hello! Is a wonderfully written children's book filled with fascinating interesting illustrations and teaches that a simple connection can be made by just saying hello – even if you say it differently. It also teaches the reader how to say hello in different languages.
The text is very simplistic and straightforward. It's about a little girl walking to her grandmother's house with her mother and trusty dog and greeting her neighbors along the way. It is written with such innocence and youthful vigor that it brings a smile on one's face. The illustration are beautifully rendered and reminds me of a collage or decoupage and is rather apropos to the book.
The premise of the book is rather simple with a beautiful message about connection in an ever growing multicultural world and it begins with a simple bond – saying hello. It is about a girl named Carmelita who is going to visit her grandmother, her abuela, Rosa with her mother and trusty dog Manny. Along the way, she passes through her multicultural neighborhood and says hello to all of them in their native language. We also get to see how the neighborhood is set up, by just this simple journey from a girl's home to her grandmother's. I also liked that Manny, her dog, also says hello to everyone in his own precious way – woof.
All in all, Say Hello! Is a wonderfully written children's book filled with fascinating interesting illustrations and teaches that a simple connection can be made by just saying hello – even if you say it differently. It also teaches the reader how to say hello in different languages.
February 5, 2019
Say Hello! is a culturally diverse book that connects to the changing world around us. Carmelita walks to her grandmas house. On her way she passes many people who are different than her and that speak different languages than her. Her and her mom practice saying "hello" to everyone in all the different languages. This book is teaching children to be loving and accepting of all individuals. This is super important in our world as we continue to grow more diverse. I love this book because it not only shows Carmelita being accepting of everyone she crosses paths with, but also has a section that teaches readers how to pronounce the different languages. It teaches the readers to also be accepting and learn alongside of Carmelita.
http://www.readingrockets.org/ - This is a website that talks about all things pre-k literature. They have blogs about the newest strategies, headlines, and popular techniques.
https://www.aatsp.org/page/cr_sites_s... - This is an application that helps to redirect to different reading interests. It helps with bilingual reading and learning different languages.
http://www.readingrockets.org/ - This is a website that talks about all things pre-k literature. They have blogs about the newest strategies, headlines, and popular techniques.
https://www.aatsp.org/page/cr_sites_s... - This is an application that helps to redirect to different reading interests. It helps with bilingual reading and learning different languages.
August 1, 2018
This is one of my favorite storytime books! I read it for the Headstart Preschool a few months ago, and decided to read it for the Family Storytime group since it went so well before. The illustrations are super cool. I love the detail with the newspaper clippings. I didn't notice this the first time I read it, but whenever they are walking outside, there are newspaper clippings on the ground. In the park, when they meet Max and Angel, there is a person reading the newspaper in the background, and it actually looks like a clipping from a real newspaper.
With the storytime kids, I asked them to help me read the book by saying hello with me! This is a great repeat after me book, and the toddlers loved saying hello in other languages! Another reason I love this book is because of the pronunciations listed in the back. It is so helpful for me to be able to see how words are pronounced. It also helps me break down the words for the toddlers. I will most likely use this book again for another storytime in a few months!
With the storytime kids, I asked them to help me read the book by saying hello with me! This is a great repeat after me book, and the toddlers loved saying hello in other languages! Another reason I love this book is because of the pronunciations listed in the back. It is so helpful for me to be able to see how words are pronounced. It also helps me break down the words for the toddlers. I will most likely use this book again for another storytime in a few months!
October 9, 2017
Carmelita loves to greet everyone around her inclusive neighborhood. She says hello in many different languages including Arabic, French, Spanish, Italian, Spanish, Swahili, Japanese, Chinese, and Hebrew. So many cultures are depicted and celebrated in this beautiful book. It was chosen as one of the 2010 Best Children's Books on Kirkus. Isadora, an award winning author and illustrator includes beautiful illustrations that are collages full of really cool textures and shapes to depict the street in the neighborhood. This book would be a great introduction to different ways to say hello!
November 17, 2017
diverse picture book (preschool age 3+, community).
* prominently features a diverse cast: Yes--Carmelita and her family speak Spanish but have hair/skin that might also be interpreted as African-American or a mix. They exchange greetings with neighbors and friends of many different cultures on their way to Abuela Rosa's.
* Would work for preschool storytime: Yes--engaging characters and illustrations, and brief text. Note: there is a pronunciation guide at the end of the book, but many presenters still find the different languages daunting.
* works with "community" theme: absolutely.
* prominently features a diverse cast: Yes--Carmelita and her family speak Spanish but have hair/skin that might also be interpreted as African-American or a mix. They exchange greetings with neighbors and friends of many different cultures on their way to Abuela Rosa's.
* Would work for preschool storytime: Yes--engaging characters and illustrations, and brief text. Note: there is a pronunciation guide at the end of the book, but many presenters still find the different languages daunting.
* works with "community" theme: absolutely.
April 19, 2021
Genre: Informal Nonfiction
Grade Level: 1st
This is a cute little story as we follow Carmelita, a young girl, and her mother walk their dog around town and come across people of various ethnicities and genders. This is a great book to introduce kids to the variety of people so that they have a smaller chance at becoming toxic people in the future (racist/homophobe) or at least get them started down the path of accepting everyone equally without discrimination against any particular main group at the center of todays controversial topics.
Grade Level: 1st
This is a cute little story as we follow Carmelita, a young girl, and her mother walk their dog around town and come across people of various ethnicities and genders. This is a great book to introduce kids to the variety of people so that they have a smaller chance at becoming toxic people in the future (racist/homophobe) or at least get them started down the path of accepting everyone equally without discrimination against any particular main group at the center of todays controversial topics.
April 11, 2018
A fun walk through a neighborhood of various cultures and languages!
Ages: 3 - 7
#geography #culture #languages
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.
Ages: 3 - 7
#geography #culture #languages
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.
June 20, 2018
I gave this an extra star because the basic idea is great - introducing kids to other languages, and to the range of different communities around them. But the writing just isn't very good. Similarly, I like the idea of including a bit of a American slang in a book with a bunch of foreign languages, but if your example of that is a kid saying "he's a real good snoop dawg" to a literal dog, you should maybe just leave it out.
August 14, 2018
Carmelita and her mama walk through their neighborhood saying hello to everyone they meet in each person's native language. The art is charming and there's a pronunciation guide in the back to make sure you're saying the words correctly.
This book is great to read with a group. I used it in library storytime this morning, and the kids all repeated the words in each language as we were reading. It was a major hit!
This book is great to read with a group. I used it in library storytime this morning, and the kids all repeated the words in each language as we were reading. It was a major hit!
September 19, 2019
Carmelita, her mom and her dog set out for a walk in their neighborhood. Each page introduces a different language as Isadora celebrates the diversity in our communities. Simple text on each page starts with "hello" in each language. Of course, the dog speaks all languages fluently with one "woof." Young readers will enjoy that humor.
Gorgeous illustrations bring the feel of each heritage to life.
Gorgeous illustrations bring the feel of each heritage to life.
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October 19, 2021A multicultural picture book about a little Spanish girl named Carmelita who goes around her neighborhood with her mom and dog saying hello to everyone in different languages. They continue to walk around the neighborhood and go to a restaurant, bakery, a butcher, a pizza place, the park, and an ice cream truck and finally end up visiting their friend or family member named Abuela Rose. I would use this in my class, especially if I have students from different lingual backgrounds.
March 3, 2022
3.5 stars--This sweet story has a little girl and her dog walking around their multilingual neighborhood and greeting all of the residents with "Hello!" in a wide variety of languages. Lots of colorful cultural touches and of course, a great way to expand youngsters' vocabulary with a friendly word. The illustrations really pop!
Veg*n parents note: There is a scene of a butcher shop, with stylized depictions of birds' plucked bodies and other meat items on display in the window.
Veg*n parents note: There is a scene of a butcher shop, with stylized depictions of birds' plucked bodies and other meat items on display in the window.
June 15, 2024
This was very cute and educational. Very simple presentation of different cultures and languages. The illustrations were unique; I'm not sure exactly how to describe them, if this is a specific style. Doesn't look drawn, but more pieced together. Cut-paper artwork.
Animal lovers will like the inclusion of a doggy saying hello and participating on every page.
Adding to the LFL - former library book picked up at a surplus sale.
Animal lovers will like the inclusion of a doggy saying hello and participating on every page.
Adding to the LFL - former library book picked up at a surplus sale.
February 4, 2018
A little girl goes through town with her mother and along the way they meet many friends of different nationalities. Each says hello in their own language.
In the back of the book is shown how to say hello in each language. Arabic, French, two ways in Spanish, Italian, Swahili, Japanese, Mandarin (Chinese), and Hebrew.
Lovely illustrations.
In the back of the book is shown how to say hello in each language. Arabic, French, two ways in Spanish, Italian, Swahili, Japanese, Mandarin (Chinese), and Hebrew.
Lovely illustrations.
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