Hello, friends! Our book today is Hello Hello by Brendan Wenzel, a delightful look at wild animals, and all that our furry, finned, and feathered friends have in common.

Using a tremendously clever visual device in which each animal shares something in common with the one on either side of it, we are taken through a wild tour of the animal kingdom and the many unique creatures that are found within it. It could be something small – a similarly-shaped yet distinctive nose, a shared pattern, or a familiar physical frame – but with each of these little details we can see how a giant whale shark can be connected to a tiny chameleon, and everything in between. And at the end, it’s shown that we’re part of this chain, too, and we should do our best to protect the wonderful diversity of life we are connected to.

We adored Wenzel previous book, They All Saw A Cat, because it encouraged readers to consider things from perspectives different from our own, and that sentiment dovetails beautifully into the theme here: looking at the similarities that seemingly disparate creatures can have that connect them. It’s a great theme in nature and in life, and folds in nicely to Wenzel’s personal message of conservation in the afterword. The text is minimal yet effective, and fun to read aloud, but the art is the star of the show, with each of the dozens of animals given a distinct look and character through design and expression. And animal-loving JJ went BONKERS for this one, asking to read through it several times after the first go. A fantastic glossary is included in the back to learn each of the animals’ species, the length is great, and we had a blast with it. The perfect read for any aspiring zoologist, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved!