Hello Sun
The main character in Hello Sun is a quirky little camera named Clicky. He has joined the Malinda Martha family on a safari into the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, Africa. Chanting his signature poem, "I have the greatest eye in the land . . . Give me light. Lend me a hand," Clicky focuses in on snapping delightful pictures of a lioness and her four cubs at rest and play in the vast savannah. During the course of this 32-page illustrated book, kids ages 4 to 8 will pick up photography terms like "wide-angle," "zoom lens," "focusing," and "shutter."
The illustrations by Susan Arciero are delightful. African cloth designs—enriched with drawings of birds and native African animals—form the pages' borders. In addition, the illustrator has hidden a tiny picture of a mouse on each page for the children to find.
Hello Sun is a slice-of-life story, specifically a tiny slice of a life for a lioness, her cubs, and a camera. Because this book was published in 2000, the camera depicted is a little out of date, but the story is timeless. This is a fun read for the little ones. The 5.5 x 9-inch book is easy for a child to hold and enjoy.
In addition, games and party ideas to accompany the book can be found at this link: http://www.images-press.com/_files/letsDoIt_helloSun.pdf. All of the books from Images Press offer a variety of fun "extras." They are worth checking out at www.images-press.com
Product review by Susan K. Marlow, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC, July 2010