Can You Greet the Whole Wide World?

June 1, 2006
PreS-Gr 2 -This book is a great way to introduce the many similarities and interests of children around the world. Readers follow the main character, a catlike animal that walks on two legs, throughout his day at home and school as he interacts with various children using common phrases. Each phrase is represented on a spread consisting of a simple verse that introduces readers to the action; the words in German, Hebrew, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Hindi, Chinese, Zulu, Japanese, Italian, French, and Portuguese; pronunciations; and an illustration. The text utilizes common courtesies such as: -Good morning, - -How are you?, - -Thank you, - -Please, - etc. Flat, cartoon-style illustrations done in bright colors reinforce action and concepts. The last spread features a map and a list of countries illustrating where the languages are officially spoken. An appropriate and fun way for students to experiment with various languages." -Margaret R. Tassia, Millersville University, PA"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2006
K-Gr. 3. The main character (who acts and is dressed like a child but has the head of a cat) begins a new year of school, exhorted by the text to "greet the whole wide world" (friends, teacher, new kids, staff, and parents) with appropriate phrases. As the day goes on, the friendly cat does so, using 12 languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Zulu. On the left-hand side of each double-page spread, a four-line, rhyming verse sets up a situation that calls for an English word or phrase, such as " please, thank you, "or" no," which appears in bold type. Below the verse are three columns. The first presents the expression in one of the other languages; the second gives the phonetic pronunciation, and the third identifies the language. To the right, extending across the gutter, a large painting, created in flat colors and a naive style, clearly illustrates a familiar situation. The final spread is a world map indicating countries where each of the languages is spoken. Recommended for larger collections, this book encourages courtesy as well as multilingual expression.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2006
As described in clumsy couplets, the sole (anthropomorphized) cat in a human kindergarten uses twelve separate languages to say "hello", "goodbye", "please", "thank you", etc. Each expression is given (with a pronunciation guide) in every language. Attractive gouache illustrations featuring flat colors with thick black outlines resemble Todd Parr's simple, brightly colored art.

(Copyright 2006 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)