Hello, Love!: (Board Books for Baby, Baby Books on Love an Friendship)

by Taro Miura

Overview

How do animals show their love? By touching trunks, beaks, and noses! Toddlers will delight in adorable pairs of fish, ducklings, elephants, and monkeys as they splash, swim, dance, and swing, all while showing affection. Author-illustrator Taro Miura brings a playfulness and verve to this love-affirming board book, which culminates in the ultimate celebration of love: a child embraced by loving parents.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452170879
Publisher:	Chronicle Books
Publication date:	12/24/2018
Pages:	22
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 5.90(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

Taro Miura is an internationally renowned author. He lives in Tokyo, Japan.

Editorial Reviews

11/12/2018
In a sweet and straightforward board book, animals meet at the volume’s gutter to show the ways they greet one another. Two goldfish say hello “by touching noses!” Ducks “quack hi!” by tapping their beaks together, elephants shake trunks, and monkeys “hoot hooray!” and hold hands. The big, smiling faces of a human mother, father, and child appear as well: “Mommy says I love you!/ by cuddling with me!/ And Daddy does, too!” Miura presents simple shapes set against solid background colors. The animals mirror one another on the page, inviting readers to explore visual symmetry. An affectionate nod to affectionate greetings. Ages up to 3. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

"A sweet book about love and friendship you'll want to read and imitate again and again."—Imagination Soup

"A sweet book about love and friendship you'll want to read and imitate again and again."—Imagination Soup

"This pretty book holds a sweet sentiment." -Kirkus Reviews

"This pretty book holds a sweet sentiment." -Kirkus Reviews

"An affectionate nod to affectionate greetings." —Publishers Weekly

"An affectionate nod to affectionate greetings." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2018-08-14

Winsome animals greet each other from across the gutter in this Japanese import.

Two creatures meander about on opposite sides of a double-page spread until a page turn joins them at the gutter, suddenly bringing two monkeys' hands together and two goldfish face to face. Even readers who might normally gloss over book design will notice and appreciate the fresh way Miura has used the book's layout to connect the friends. Circle-headed humans join the mix on the final three spreads, with a beguiling child cuddling cheek to cheek with Mommy before Daddy also appears at the lovefest on the following spread. (These humans have pale skin and brown hair.) All the most elemental features are exaggerated on the flat, cartoonlike representations, all sitting on minimally detailed backgrounds that draw the eye to the duos. White ducks silhouetted against rich blue have enormous golden bills, pointy little tails, and vague lines that suggest wings. Unfortunately, while it works visually, it fails textually. Each pair has an original salutation to share with each other, but the resulting statements are so clunky that it's a struggle to read aloud: "Fish swim HELLO! / …by touching noses." Also problematic is the confusion about which animal greetings are fabricated and which are real. Some are accurate, such as the elephants that shake trunks, but ducks do not "quack HI! / …by tapping beaks."

Although this pretty book holds a sweet sentiment, it's not substantial enough to satisfy. (Board book. 1-3)

Kirkus Reviews