Say hello! /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Carmelita loves to greet everyone in her neighbourhood. 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. Rachel Isadora's eye-catching collages are full of kid-friendly details, making Carmelita's neighbourhood fun to explore. This simple portrait of a child's day provides a great introduction to the joy of language.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

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.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

School Library Journal Review

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 (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

One morning Carmelita, her mother, and their dog Manny go to visit Abuela Rose. Walking through their neighborhood, they run into friends and shopkeepers and stop to greet them in different languages: Buenos días to Señor Enrico at the bodega, Shalom to Mrs. Rosen and her children, Konichiwa to the Japanese restaurant staff, Jambo, to Joseph and his parents, Al salaam a'alaykum to the butcher and his family, and so on. In contrast, Manny greets everyone with woof. There's no real drama; the text is pared down to essentials and the striking collage-style illustrations are colorful and dynamic. Richly patterned with oil paints as well as printed patterns, the cut-paper shapes show up vividly against the white backgrounds. Pair this upbeat book with Manya Stojic's Hello World! (2002) and Lila's Prap's Animals Speak (2006) for opening discussions of different languages and cultures.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist

Horn Book Review

Carmelita and her mama walk through their culturally diverse neighborhood, greeting everyone they meet in the neighbors' native languages: Shalom! (Hebrew); Jambo! (Swahili); Al salaam a'laykum! (Arabic). Isadora's visually engaging, sprightly collages combine printed and painted papers to get the details just right; e.g., payot (sidecurls) on the Orthodox Jewish boys and hijabs on the Arabic mother and daughter. Glos. Copyright 2010 of The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Book Review

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 helloin 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) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Rachel Isadora was born and raised in New York City. Rachel studied at the School of American Ballet and was a dancer with the Boston Ballet until a foot injury. She went from being a ballet dancer to an author and illustrator.

The first title she wrote and illustrated was Max. Since then she has written many others including Golden Bear, Ben's Trumpet, Nick Plays Baseball, Caribbean Dream, Mr. Moon and Not Just Tutus.

Her works have earned her several awards including the Caldecott Honor Award and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award. Her title Max, was named an ALA Notable Book.

(Bowker Author Biography)