Hello Hello [Hardcover]

Dan Zanes (Author), Donald Saaf (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

An illustrated collection of one original and four traditional songs: "Hello, Hello," "Crawdad Song," "Get on Board Little Children," "Alabama Bound," and "Mairi's Wedding.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1–In this song-in-a-picture-book, a little girl and boy are shown in a variety of outdoor scenes, where they interact with a cast of whimsical characters. Children, animals, flowers, birds, clouds, and even a banjo-playing butterfly prance and cavort. Zanes's lyrics appear on the left side of each spread: "Every day brings more than the day before/Open any door and say hello/hello/hello." All of the right-hand pages open out, revealing a hidden surprise. For example, in one scene, a cat waters some seedlings, while the foldout opens to reveal a crop of smiling sunflowers. The song's "love everybody" theme and repetitious wording try hard to please, but come off as annoying and artificial. Similarly, instead of being childlike, the mixed-media illustrations look amateurish. The figures are flat and out of proportion and seem static, despite the changing poses. The accompanying CD includes this tune as well as four traditional songs; lyrics, music, and a short introduction to each appear on the final pages.–Jane Marino, Bronxville Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Dan Zanes and Friends have released four CDs through his Festival Five Records including: Rocket Ship Beach, Family Dance, Night Time! and House Party. Dan grew up in New Hampshire and now lives with his wife and daughter in Brooklyn, New York where he plays mandolin on the front stoop.

Donald Saaf has illustrated many children's books, including Train Song and Animal Music. He plays tenor banjo and sings on the Dan Zanes and Friends CDs in addition to creating their unique artwork. He lives in Saxton's River, Vermont with his wife and two sons.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (September 8, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316168084
• ISBN-13: 978-0316168083
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 0.5 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,118,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A nice little package, February 4, 2006

By 

cian "cian" (Bahamas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hello Hello (Hardcover)

I actually ordered this by accident! I thought I was getting the Hello Hello CD and got this instead.

At first I was disappointed, but then after I read the story to my daughter (2 yrs old) for the first time I discovered the CD in the back! So, of course, I played the CD and re-read the story as the song played. She and I enjoyed it a great deal! And the song goes slowly enough for you to have time to lift the flap on each page (sort of like those extended perfume ad pages in magazines) and sing Hello Hello Hello.

The extra extra bonus is that there are a couple of ther songs on the CD with the words and music right in the back of the book!

If your child enjoys music and reading (like mine), then this is a great combination! And I feel it has staying power and will be a favorite for years to come. Because the writing is simple enough for beginning readers to practice and the rhythm inviting enough for them to *want* to read it. Especially with the song playing in the background.

All in all, a great buy!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best children's book/cd available!, August 10, 2005

By 

John Strickland Jr. (Central PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hello Hello (Hardcover)

As a new parent, I was convinced that I was going to have to either listen to really bad baby music or start our daughter on a menu of carefully selected music from my own cd collection. Then we received a tip about Dan Zanes. We ordered 'Hello, Hello,' and now we can't get enough of him. Our daughter loves waking up to 'Hello, Hello' (we play it every morning and dance around her bedroom), and we read the book and look at Donald Saff's amazing illistrations at reading time. It's progressive, multicultural, educational, and just plain fun! It's hard to charachterize his folk/americana/international/historic/fun style. Now 'Hello, Hello' is our standard new baby gift. We've given 5 as presents and our freinds thank us every time for turning them on to Dan Zanes. We now own all of his family cds and have orders in for his new book and dvd. Next to diapers, this may be the best baby item to buy!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE IT!, December 5, 2004

By 

Erika L. Grill (Peoria, Az.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hello Hello (Hardcover)

I am an Education major and this is one of the books our instructor shared with us. I thought it was a fantastic book, great illustrations and a cute song.