Customer Reviews

And Here's to You

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a delightful book that uses word play and utterly charming rhymes to spark kids' imagination about all kinds of critters -- from the "furry people" (cats) to the "people people". Read it straight for the sheer pleasure of the rhymes and illustrations; you'll giggle out loud and your kids will giggle right along with you. Or, use it interactively ("who do you think are the furry people?"), or reach even deeper for lessons about diversity and tolerance.

Want a sample? The book was read on the air on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Saturday program on Saturday, May 8th. Hear audio or get a transcript on NPR's site.

After reading many Candlewick books, it appears you're practically guaranteed a great children's book if they've published it. "And Here's To You" is no exception. It features creative poems, fantastic illustrations, and quality production (e.g., sturdy pages, excellent color reproduction, etc.) This book celebrates diversity and individuality without going preachy or too new-agey. In other words, it's a book that almost any kid is going to love. David Elliott's rhyming tributes to various animals are clever, fun, and winning:

"Here's to the fish!
The Bubble People!
Fish!
Here's to the spiny ones,
The river and the briny ones,
The toothy and the eely ones,
All squishy squishy-feely ones

Oh, I love the fish!"


The animal pictures are bright and vividly colored illustrations, swirling with texture from Randy Cecil's oil on paper technique. To accompany the `dogs' poem, Cecil draws a girl surrounded by dogs who are fetching, howling, sleeping, sitting, and licking.

"Here's to the dogs!
The Dreaming People!
Dogs!
Here's to the howling ones.
The running, yipping, yowling ones,
All go and fetch stick ones,
The LICK LICK LICK LICK LICK ones.

Oh, I love the dogs!"


The imaginative people metaphor is a wonderful conceit, authentically egocentric for its young audience. There are additional poems and pictures about birds, bears, bugs ("The Leggy People!"), cats, cows ("The Giving People"), and finally, people ("The People People!") and "you" ("The You Person!"): "... Oh, how I love you! The You Person! You Person You! Yes! You! I love you!"

It's even more warm and fun than it sounds. A bighearted book, beautifully realized.

I really enjoyed this book. The story is simple (designed for children) and it celebrates a variety of creatures from frogs to cows to people to "you." I thought the whimsical illustrations really made this book great. The insects and the frogs especially made me smile. This is a nice keepsake, not a throwaway kid book.

This wonderful book is tough to find in our local bookstores, but luckily we've been able to order many through Amazon to give as gifts. AND HERE'S TO YOU is filled with beautiful full-page pictures that our 8-month old daughter loves to look at and touch. The story is about appreciating all that is around us, the birds, the dogs, the bugs and ourselves! I highly recommend this book for your child and as gifts for all kids you know.

I found this book a year ago for my 1 1/2 year old. A year later and it is still one of our favorites. In fact, it has become my favorite baby shower gift. The pictures are amazing and I love the message that all God's creatures are wonderful! It is a perfect book to make any child feel loved and special!

Expressive illustrations. Dynamic text. Imaginative and inspiring. Kids can't put this book down, along with Drum, Chavi, Drum! Both are highly recommended as FUN books.

A fun read aloud - some of the words are tricky to string together, so read closely. The message is simple - unity and respect to all the living world.

Here's to the readers! The readers - the word people, the book people, the late into the night, non-asleep people!

If you like this book, look for "The Friendly Book", written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Garth Williams. It's a Golden Book written in 1954 and republished in "A Garth Williams Treasury of Best-Loved Golden Books" in 2001. It must have been the model for "And Here's to You". Both of these stories are wonderful to read aloud and have beautiful illustrations. Both are classics.

We bought this book after hearing Daniel Pinkwater review it on NPR. Our daughter, at 16 mos, is just in the couple of months sitting through slightly longer books, and this one is her current favorite. She gives it to us to read at least 3 times a day. It has a nice rhythm, great pictures, and is warm and happy. We give this one to all new families as the first book we buy them.

Indeed, you moody kid will be all smiles after reading this one. Try also Jazzy in the Jungle.