Sometimes I wish I was a world traveler and had cool photo albums filled
with pictures of famous landmarks and renowned art pieces from all of my explorations
that I could share with my family and friends. Until the Fontainebleau hotel in
Miami becomes a landmark, something tells me it will be a while before I have a
more sophisticated photo album. Until then, my children have to learn about the world from television, books and their imagination.
My children love the television show Little Einsteins on Disney Junior which has exposed them to
classical music and many recognized works of art and iconic cities around the
world. They often ask if they can go to these places and see the Eiffel Tower
in France or Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. While I feel bad telling them
that we are not leaving the East Coast any time soon, a new board book series
brings those cities and their cultures to life in my living room (when the
television is off).
In this four book series, Hello, World
highlights the best attractions and iconic features each city has to offer. It is
also a concept series so you will practice your opposites in London, your
numbers in San Francisco, your shapes in Paris and your colors in New York. Every
parent who has been to any of these places (or lives in one of these cities)
will be able to talk about the sites featured on a more personal level. I showed
my children pictures of Buckingham Palace I took when I was there and held it
up next to the picture in the book (they LOVED that!)
Each page of every book has something exciting to talk about with your
child and truly captures the essence of each city. In the heart of New York
City you can spot more than just colors
while taxi cabs are flying through the streets and dogs are being walked in the
park. On a sunny day in San Francisco you can count the people hopping on and off trolleys and watching the boats
float by. Every must see site in Paris is mentioned in this book about shapes and children will love the changing
of the guards and tea parties starting and ending in the London book of opposites.
The illustrations are bright, inviting and truly captivate the feeling of
each city. I emailed the author/illustrator Ashley Evanson and asked her why she chose these
four specific locations and she told me that “Each one is overflowing with its
own unique culture, art, customs and life. I loved studying the history of all
these cities and wanted to teach my own kids about it, too”. You will love
sharing these books with your toddlers and they will love learning new concepts
while experiencing another part of the world.
