Parents' Guide to Hello World!

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Common Sense Media Review

Regan McMahon By Regan McMahon , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 3+

Lively celebration of learning from and about other people.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 3+?

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Parent and Kid Reviews

What's the Story?

HELLO WORLD! begins with a little girl leaving home and venturing into a town full of busy people. She makes certain assumptions about the people she observes -- like a boy is a bully -- then learns there's more to that person that she thought, like "The bully was bullied. That's how he learned to do it." The more people she meets and asks questions of, the more she learns and expands her perspective. As the text says, you'll meet "people who will make you sigh and cry, cheer and wonder, think and rethink. People who will make you smarter and stronger, steadier and softer, better and bigger-hearted ... and even more beloved than you have always been."

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

This lively, upbeat picture book carries a strong message to look beyond first impressions and discover that there's more to people that meets the eye. Amid Stacy Ebert's cute cartoon illustrations and Kelly Corrigan's propulsive text fueled by words that start with B ("The bystander bakes the best bannana bread in town") is a simple and valuable lesson: You can learn a lot from other people, and taking the time to hear their stories makes you smarter and builds empathy.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the different kids and grown-ups the girl meets in Hello World! Have you ever wondered about the people you see in your neighborhood? Who would you like to know more about? What would you ask them?

  • How do you like the art in this book? Which picture is your favorite?

  • Try asking someone the kind of questions present in the book: "What do you know? And how do you know it?" "Who do you miss? And what makes you miss them?"

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

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