Say Hello!

Carmelita, a girl in pigtails with a butterscotch complexion, walks with her mother and her dog through a multicultural neighborhood en route to meet her Abuela Rosa. Each individual they encounter says hello in his or her respective language, and Carmelita echoes back each greeting. “Shalom!' says Mrs. Rosen and her children,” while a man flipping pizzas at an Italian restaurant calls “Ciao!” Even less formal greetings gets their due as Carmelita's friends shout “Hey!” and “Wuzzup?” Isadora's trademark textural collages, using oil paint and printed papers that recall batik, vividly convey the joys of diversity. Ages 3–5. (Apr.)