★ 01/08/2018
Wenzel starts with two cats and a greeting: “Hello Hello.” They eye each other across a white backdrop. A page turn reveals a black bear, panda, zebra, and striped fish: “Black and White.” The next page provides a blast of color: more tropical fish, a brilliant parrot, a fuchsia lobster—and completes the rhyme (“Hello Color Hello Bright”). More creatures and greetings bring the story into focus—it’s a celebration of the myriad forms of animal life this planet hosts. In richly textured mixed-media compositions, Caldecott Honor recipient Wenzel (They All Saw a Cat) balances realism and engaging caricature. The animals’ coats and features are rendered with careful attention, and each animal face sports cartoonish, wide-open eyes, the better to give each other impish looks. In an author’s note, Wenzel urges readers to know the creatures they share the Earth with, especially those that are threatened or endangered. (Official names are supplied in two keyed drawings at the back.) It’s a joyful way to deliver a message about the fragility of life on Earth and what would be lost if more of it disappeared. Ages 3–5. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Mar.)
"Brendan Wenzel's colorful introduction to the world of animals encourages exploration and preservation."—Today.com
“Dynamic images cavorting, reclining, flying, or dancing across and around stark white pages snag both emotions and imaginations . . . that will delight readers everywhere.” -Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Vivacious, utterly appealing.” - Booklist, starred review
"Readers again take a visual journey that opens the door to deeper thought."—The Virginia-Pilot
Amazon Best Children’s Books of the Year
The Washington Post Best Children's Books of the Year
Book Riot Favorite Books of the Year So Far
Working Mother Best Books of the Year So Far
Fatherly Best Children's Books of the Year
Common Sense Media Best Books of the Year
Evanston Public Library Best Books of the Year
★"Vivacious, utterly appealing." —Booklist, starred review
★""Dynamic images cavorting, reclining, flying, or dancing across and around stark white pages snag both emotions and imaginations . . . that will delight readers everywhere." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ “A celebration of the myriad forms of animal life this planet hosts . . . a joyful way to deliver a message about the fragility of life on Earth and what would be lost if more of it disappeared.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ “This uplifting visual delight will inspire a new generation of youngsters to love the natural world.” —Shelf Awareness, starred review
"One of 2018's must-haves for children." -—Entertainment Weekly
“Hello Hello spreads its arms wide, introducing the staggering range of species that share the earth - many of them endangered or threatened. Wenzel’s vibrant collaged art and simple rhythms call to mind Eric Carle, with a factual-minded touch.” -The New York Times
“This exuberant, welcoming look at the hundreds of animals that share the planet with humans is both poignant and lighthearted” —The Washington Post
“A subtle exhortation to notice the beauty and variety of animals, especially rare and endangered ones.” -The Wall Street Journal
"Greet 92 creatures, great and small, pictured in this whirlwind, worldwide tour." —The San Francisco Chronicle
"Fun and bright and sure to be a favorite among kids and parents alike." —Book Riot
“A satisfyingly complex and immersive experience.” —The Horn Book Magazine
"A vibrant book with fantastic colors and a important message.." -Book Riot
"A visually strong layout that encourages animal comparisons using concepts like size and color." —Charlotte News Observer
"Our number one choice of picture books from the first half of 2018 is Hello Hello, a gorgeous and cheerful celebration of animals of all shapes and sizes that will inspire children to care for all the world’s wild creatures." —Working Mother
“Deceptively simple but gorgeously realized, with a powerful statement about celebrating and protecting the Earth’s fauna in all its diverse (yet interconnected) splendor.” -School Library Journal
03/01/2018
PreS-K—Beginning with some modest black-and-white critters and the titular greeting, Wenzel introduces a dazzling variety of animals grouped in unexpected ways by pattern ("Hello Stripes Hello Spots"), anatomical features ("Hello Tongue, Ears, Hands, and Nose"), sounds (Hello Roars, Peeps, Chirps, and Chants") and many other criteria, each description a part of a rhyming poem spread out across the book. Set against ample white backgrounds, Wenzel's mixed media illustrations pop with astounding textures and colors, somewhat reminiscent of Steve Jenkins's work, but considerably more caricature in style with googly eyes and exaggerated shapes. The dizzying parade culminates in a spread of all of the animals together, "A world to see A world to know Where to begin? Hello Hello." A note from the author explains that these animals are some of the author's favorites but are tragically endangered; Wenzel urges readers to discover more about them to better the conservation efforts. An illustrated list of animals is helpfully included, listing the names of all pictured animals and their threatened status. VERDICT Deceptively simple but gorgeously realized, with a powerful statement about celebrating and protecting the Earth's fauna in all its diverse (yet interconnected) splendor.—Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY
★ 2018-01-13
Caldecott honoree (They All Saw a Cat, 2016) Wenzel's graphic love letter to all us earthlings is a hallelujah chorus to life in all its glorious shapes and forms. Each page is a visual testament to the Sesame Street axiom "different yet the same." The white cat leads off to the black, which then takes readers to the black bear, the black-and-white panda, the stripey zebra, and its finny eponymous cousin, the zebra fish. This natural progression opens readers' minds to the fact that we have more in common with one another than not—but for one alarming distinction. Between 200 and 2,000 species are going extinct each year. Wenzel immortalizes his favorite examples of our planet's exceptional inhabitants, including us, using a variety of artistic media and tools (cut paper, colored pencil, oils, pastels, markers, etc.) to amazing effect. Dynamic images cavorting, reclining, flying, or dancing across and around stark white pages snag both emotions and imaginations. The spare, rhyming text united by the bridging greeting of "Hello" places all creatures on the same interconnected playing field. In the backmatter, the author identifies all his stars on two double-page spreads in order of appearance and notes their status when applicable: vulnerable to critically endangered. Every one of Wenzel's beasties, from the "common" house cat to the mouth-dropping whale shark, exhibits an exuberant spark of life that will delight readers everywhere—and hopefully encourage in them an awareness of their plights. (Picture book. 3-10)
