Say Hello!

by Rachel Isadora, Rachel Isadora (Illustrator)

Overview

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.

Caldecott Honor winner Rachel Isadora's eyecatching collages are full of kid-friendly details like colorful storefronts, pigeons and an ice cream truck, making Carmelita's neighborhood fun to explore. 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399252303
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	04/15/2010
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	373,581
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD470L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Rachel Isadora began dancing at the age of eight. She trained at George Balanchine's School of American Ballet and has danced professionally. Rachel lives in New York City with her family.

Rachel Isadora has illustrated many books set in the world of dance and theater, including Opening Night, My Ballet Class, Swan Lake, The Little Match Girl, and Ben's Trumpet, which received the Caldecott Honor Award and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award.

copyright © 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.

Rachel Isadora began dancing at the age of eight. She trained at George Balanchine's School of American Ballet and has danced professionally. Rachel lives in New York City with her family.

Rachel Isadora has illustrated many books set in the world of dance and theater, including Opening Night, My Ballet Class, Swan Lake, The Little Match Girl, and Ben's Trumpet, which received the Caldecott Honor Award and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award.

copyright © 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.

Editorial Reviews

Carmelita, a girl in pigtails with a butterscotch complexion, walks with her mother and her dog through a multicultural neighborhood en route to meet her Abuela Rosa. Each individual they encounter says hello in his or her respective language, and Carmelita echoes back each greeting. “Shalom!' says Mrs. Rosen and her children,” while a man flipping pizzas at an Italian restaurant calls “Ciao!” Even less formal greetings gets their due as Carmelita's friends shout “Hey!” and “Wuzzup?” Isadora's trademark textural collages, using oil paint and printed papers that recall batik, vividly convey the joys of diversity. Ages 3-5. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 1—Carmelita and her mother set out to visit Abuela Rosa. As they pass each family or store, they call out the appropriate greeting. Whether it be friends just returning from Africa ("Jambo!") or the woman in the bakery ("Bonjour!"), Carmelita's dog is ready with a friendly "Woof!" When Carmelita reaches her grandmother ("Hola!"), the two share a smile as the pup seems to understand yet another greeting. Carmelita's busy, diverse neighborhood is a place that children will enjoy, and Isadora's oil-and-collage illustrations are richly detailed. From Carmelita's huevos con tocino (eggs and bacon) to the Japanese restaurant's lanterns, textured paint and printed patterns invite readers to linger on each page. Text and illustrations work together to provide clues for readers who may be learning these greetings for the first time. Pronunciation is not included, so adults will want to prepare before reading the book aloud. This accessible story could be used to discuss not only languages, but clothing and manners as well.—Lisa Glasscock, Columbine Public Library, Littleton, CO

School Library Journal

Today Carmelita visits her Abuela Rosa, but to get there she must walk. Down Ninth Avenue she strolls with her mother and dog. Colorful shops and congenial neighbors greet them along the way, and at each stop Carmelita says hello-in Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew and more. With a friendly "Jambo" for Joseph, a "Bonjour" at the bakery and an affectionate "Hey" for Max and Angel, the pig-tailed girl happily exercises her burgeoning multilingual skills. Her world is a vibrant community, where neighborliness, camaraderie and culture are celebrated. Isadora's collaged artwork, reminiscent of Ezra Jack Keats, contains lovely edges and imperfections, which abet the feeling of an urban environment. Skillfully, she draws with her scissors, the cut-paper elements acting as her line work. Everything has a texture and surface, and with almost no solid colors, the city street is realized as a real, organic place. Readers will fall for the sociable Carmelita as they proudly learn a range of salutations, and the artist's rich environment, packed with hidden details and charming animals, will delight readers with each return visit. Simply enchanting. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews

* "Readers will fall for the sociable Carmelita as they proudly learn a range of salutations, and the artist’s rich environment, packed with hidden details and charming animals, will delight readers with each return visit. Simply enchanting."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

From the Publisher