Walker Say Hello

Based on the author's childhood experience, Say Hello tells the poignant story of a boy who is left out and all alone, while other children play happily together. Michael Foreman's beautifully spare illustrations perfectly complement the story's underlying message: "When someone's feeling left out, low, it doesn't take much to say ...'Hello!'" Editorial Reviews From School Library Journal PreSchool-Grade 2--A simple story about loneliness and the power of friendliness. Spare charcoal, pastel, and colored pencil drawings illustrate first a lonely dog, then a sad little boy as they longingly watch and finally join an exuberant group of children playing ball. Lots of white space and thoughtful page layout emphasize the emotions being conveyed, as does the judicious use of color and detail. The dog serves as the best role model in the book, being outgoing ("Can I play too?") and inviting the little boy to join the fun. The closing message: "When someone's feeling left out, low, it doesn't take much to say...hello!" is a valuable one for all ages. Though the endpapers exuberantly display the word "hello" in many different languages, the group of children depicted is homogenous. In spite of that weakness, this book would be especially useful for discussions about bullying, empathy, and character education.--Amy Rowland, Guggenheim Elementary School, Port Washington, NY Copyright å¨ Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From Booklist *Starred Review* A lonely dog wanders though a town, stops to gaze sadly at a boy and his cat, and investigates a tipped-over garbage can. When he comes upon a crowd of children playing with a ball, he approaches them eagerly and makes plenty of new friends. Outside the group, a lonely boy stops to watch them play. Suddenly, the dog approaches and draws him into the group. The text concludes, "When someone's feeling left out, low, / it doesn't take much to say . . . Hello!" This forthright statement of the book's message will endear the book to many preschool teachers, but even better is the sensitivity of its delivery. Both words and pictures are spare and clean. Using repetition of phrases effectively, the text is so brief that only one or two words appear on many of the double-page spreads. The charcoal, colored-pencil, and pastel artwork makes scant use of color, sensitive use of line, and ample use of white space, which visually isolates the lonely characters. A blue horizontal line high on the page sometimes represents the horizon and sometimes suggests a background of trees, tall buildings, or clouds. This beautifully designed offering will resonate with its audience; it's short and simple enough for beginning readers as well. Preschool-Grade 1. --Carolyn Phelan --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.