Geniune Greetings

There is an array of emotions present at arrivals and departures.  There is either great happiness, deep sadness or a combination of the two.  It's important to remember hello is not necessarily equated with joy nor is goodbye synonymous with sorrow.  Circumstances and the individuals involved dictate the emotional mood.  The people present can make a difference.

Children can see even the tiniest light in a looming darkness.  They are a gift.  Goodbye, Friend! Hello, Friend! (Dial Books for Young Readers, July 2, 2019) written and illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld takes us through the ups and downs of a little girl's day-to-day world with a large emphasis on seeking and finding the proverbial silver lining through friendship.

Bye, Mom.

Every goodbye . . .
. . . leads to a hello.

Hi, I'm Charlie!

Stella is not very happy about leaving her mother at home, but at school she immediately meets a new friend, Charlie.  She is no longer sitting alone at lunch or alone when riding the school bus.  There are playdates outside in piles of leaves and card games inside under a blanket fort on a chilly winter afternoon.

When snow creations melt under a spring sun, rainy days offer new merriment.  All the activities during a summer day last for treasured moments but they lead to new pursuits as the sky darkens.  What do you think they do outside on a summer night?

When a beloved pet passes away, Charlie is there to comfort Stella.  Together they celebrate a life which brought comfort.  Encouragement is given to try new endeavors.  When learning something new, the next attempt can yield amazing results.

These two friends are inseparable.  When one of the girls has to move, this goodbye is difficult.  Is there a hello to be found in this heartbreak?  Remember readers, there is always a hello, even if sometimes you make it yourself or decide to give it away.


The beauty in the words written by Cori Doerrfeld is they leave room for readers to reflect on their personal memories.  The toggling back and forth between goodbye words followed by the hello words supplies an engaging cadence, both uplifting and supportive.  A few speech bubbles at the beginning and ending of the story, provide a circle effect and reinforce the idea of being open to positive possibilities.  Here is a single sentence.

Goodbye to almost giving up . . .
. . . is hello to one more try.


When you look at the open and matching dust jacket and book case, the pure bliss shown by the characters envelopes you.  The looks on their faces, and their body language, on the front are ones of mutual affection.  Their colorful clothing set against the paler blue sky and field of flowers draws our eyes to them.  The text, Stella, Charlie and the butterflies are varnished.

To the left, on the back, it's nighttime.  On a slight hill are Charlie, Stella's dog and Stella.  Their backs are to us.  The girls are pointing with their outside hands to stars.  Their other hands rest on the back of Stella's dog.  This scene is brimming with contentment.

On a canvas of white on the opening endpapers in the lower, right-hand corner, is Stella, seated on the floor, putting on her red cowboy boots before leaving for school.  Her dog is licking her cheek.  With white as the background on the closing endpapers we see, in the lower, left-hand corner, Charlie removing a familiar letter from her mailbox.

The illustrations rendered using

digital ink, Dr. Pepper, and a good dose of nostalgia

by Cori Doerrfeld use very page turn to extend the narrative.  On the verso and title pages Stella's dog is running toward her and her mother as she feeds her goldfish.  Her mother is holding the dog's leash.

For most of the pictures, they span across two ages. For the sake of pacing there are full-page images and several images on a single page.  The matte-finished paper is excellent for the hues of colors used by Cori Doerrfeld.  Readers will love pausing at page turns to enjoy all the detailed elements.  Cori Doerrfeld adds items which reveal the season and her skies depict the time of day and weather.  Careful readers will notice the absence of the fishbowl after the goldfish dies, but will they notice what is on the table and wall in one of the final illustrations?  Dog lovers will adore the presence of Stella's dog in most of the activities.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is of the two girls inside and underneath their blanket fort.  In the background, left to right, is the heat radiator, the window with snow falling outside and Gill swimming in his fishbowl on the table.  The red and white plaid blanket is stretched over several chairs.  Two more blankets are placed on the living room rug.  The two girls are lying on their stomachs with their knees bent.  Each is holding playing cards; others are scattered in front of them.  Along the floor are toy cars, building blocks, crayons and paper, a plate with sliced apples and a bowl of popcorn.  Stuffed toy animals along with Stella's sleeping dog are keeping them company.


Whatever age you are, Goodbye, Friend! Hello, Friend! written and illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld will fill you with hope.  It encourages us to seek, or if circumstances ask us to make, happiness, however small.  It allows us to see even in the most sorrowful events, there will be a change for the better; especially with the help of a friend.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Cori Doerrfeld and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Cori Doerrfeld has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  Cori Doerrfeld is featured at Brightly and at Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb.  At the publisher's website you can view the opening endpapers.

Greet Those Who Need Us

The longer you live the more you acknowledge the fragility of all life.  As humans we have the power to protect and preserve but it's a conscience choice we need to make every single day.  The more we discover and learn about all living beings on this planet, the harder we will work to maintain an environment which will support all of us.

Caldecott Honor Book recipient (2017), Brendan Wenzel for They All Saw A Cat (Chronicle Books, August 30, 2016) presents a new title to readers.  In Hello Hello (Chronicle Books, March 20, 2018) he is asking us to meet an array of animals, many of their names appearing on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's list as creatures in trouble.  Several are critically endangered.

Hello Hello

Black and White

Two cats, one white on the left and one black on the right of the gutter gaze at each other in greeting.  For the phrase black and white on the next two page picture, the black cat strolls toward an American black bear.  On the opposite side of the gutter a giant panda looks at a plains zebra which looks back at it.  A small three-stripe damselfish (black and white) swims toward the right lower corner.

With ease we then welcome color.  It's rather bright, too.  With the turn of each page we are introduced to a group displaying opposites or differences.  These contrasts continue by comparing lines and dots and size.  The focus shifts bringing our attention to prominent body parts like tongues and noses.

Patterns, body positions, unusual shapes and displays of physical characteristics are astounding.  Some critters are quiet.  Other critters are not quiet.  Breathtaking beauty attracts.

Friendships are formed.  Sound abounds and animals move.  There is much to see.  It starts with you and me . . . and hello.


Even as you read the words silently you begin to feel the beat supplied by Brendan Wenzel's word choices.  Without any intentional effort, you find yourself reading the phrases aloud.  The word hello is usually followed by a single word noting the emphasis on the animals portrayed.  The second and fourth endings rhyme for most of the narrative building toward a joyful conclusion which circles back to the beginning.  Here is a sample.

Hello Shape
Hello Show
Hello Wonder
Hello WHOA! 


When you open the dust jacket on this title, you realize Brendan Wenzel has extended the illustrations to the flaps.  A pristine white background accentuates the vibrant animals depicted.  The textures, colors and shapes are sure to have you smiling in appreciation of these animals.  The tail of the rhinoceros hornbill goes over the edge to create a frame for two butterflies. To the left, on the back, the cheetah's tail goes up to the top of the left-hand corner pointing to the three-stripe damselfish on the back flap.

The remarkable book case is in two tones of blue.  A pattern of the animals moves from the far left to the far right.  The animal silhouettes are a darker, varnished blue.  On the opening endpapers the animals are shown again as silhouettes, silver on a pale gray.  On the closing endpapers the design is replicated but the animals are in full color.

On the two pages for the title display the two words are shown in shades of gray.  This leads us into black and white and then color.  Rendered in a variety of media, including cut paper, colored pencil, oil pastels, marker, and the computer Brendan connects one page to the next by having the last creature on the right be the first one to appear on the left of the next image.  It's a continuous gallery of animals found around the world.

One of the several things the beings have in common is the signature large eyes. It's like they want to see everything that can be seen.  They want to know everything about the animal next to them.  While some of the critters appear to be at rest, they also give the appearance of being ready to leap into action within seconds.  The design, the placement of the animals on the pages, is outstanding.

One of my many favorite pictures is for the second two lines so noted.  A mute swan from the previous page comes in from the left edge with its neck and face showing and nods to a platypus.  This is followed with a North American beaver up close and personal starring at the next creature.  Just across the gutter and close to us, a Brazilian porcupine has its eyes on the beaver.  In the upper right-hand corner a Western long-beaked echidna is not sure what is going to happen next.  This is one of those images beckoning to readers to reach out and touch the animals.


In an author's note Brendan Wenzel explains to us his purpose for writing and illustrating this book.  With Hello Hello he wishes to increase our awareness of some of his favorite animals.  Readers will be running to research one or more of these lively and lovely beings as soon as the book is completed.  Or they will most certainly ask you to read Hello Hello again and again.  There is so much to see in our wonderful world.  Brendan also has four pages at the conclusion dedicated to identifying the animals shown to us in this title.  This book is one you need in both your professional and personal collections. 

To learn more about Brendan Wenzel and his other work, please visit his website by following the link attached to his name.  The cover was revealed by teacher librarian Travis Jonker on his site, 100 Scope Notes.  We are also given a sneak peek at a few interior illustrations.  Be sure to take a look at how teacher librarian Jennifer Reed's students responded to this book at Reederama.  The publisher has created a special page for this title and Brendan's Caldecott Honor book.  Enjoy the book trailer!