hello! hello!

Today for Picture Book Month we didn't follow the theme (food) because I had to share this book for a different reason. I love it!  And I love it even more now that I've kid-tested it!  I wish I could have had a video facing out to my classes when I got to the page when the horse says, "Hello, Lydia."  All their eyebrows rose, and smiles (which were already there from the previous pages) got bigger, but then when I got to the part where the ostrich, gorilla, giraffe, etc. joined the horse, buffalo, and deer, I got one of the biggest reactions I've ever gotten while reading a picture book.  They loved it!  They also got the connection with Blackout by John Rocco, which I had read to introduce the Mock Caldecott Club.  I taught symbolism the last couple days, and so they even got the symbolism of the technology/family using technology being gray and Lydia and the outdoors being in color.  I used this book today to introduce repetition in their Word Play Scrapbook and what it means when authors use repetition.  They understood pretty quickly that the repetition of "Hello! Hello!" meant making connections and choosing relationships/family/outdoors/nature/etc. over technology.  Bravo, kids.  And bravo, Matthew Cordell!  Now I anxiously await my original watercolor of Lydia riding her horse that I will receive because I took Matthew up on his generous offer featured on his hilarious and entertaining blog.  I bought FOUR copies because I'm going to raffle one off in each of my four classes.  I can't wait to hear their reactions to that plan.  I haven't told them yet!  I'm going to tell them tomorrow after I read Cordell's other 2012 book, Another Brother.  I'm using that book to teach text shape and how authors use it to enhance poems and picture books.  I know my students are going to love that one, too!!!  Here are book trailers for both books:

 

 

By the way, you have one more day to take Matthew Cordell up on his amazing offer!  Look what you'll receive if you buy three copies of hello! hello!

 



 

Trust me, if you buy copies for the kids in your life (Christmas is coming up!), they will love you!

 

Thanks to Mr. Schu for turning me on to this book when I won a signed copy from him!  If you click on Mr. Schu's link, you'll see an interview with Matthew Cordell.

 



 

Goodbye, goodbye!