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.
Product Description
Dan Zanes, the former lead singer of the rock-and-roll band The Del Fuegos, now makes award-winning folk music with a positive message and a free-wheeling spirit that appeals to people of all ages. In his first book, fanciful frogs, singing sunflowers, walking fruits, and neighborhood kids greet each other with the catchy song ìhello hello,î and twelve fold out pages open to reveal surprising neighborhood scenes!