HI, HOW ARE YOU?

Rosensweig explores the “ew” sound in this rhyming picture book.

The story follows a predictable pattern: the narrator sees a cow, who says “MOO!”; the cow sees a ghost, who says “BOO!”; and so on. Other characters include an owl and a cat who, upon slinking into a house, sees a baby in a highchair. The cat greets the baby, and the baby says “GOO!” to follow the pattern. Having just finished a meal and a bottle, the baby soils its diaper and creates an alarming smell—the house erupts in chaos, attracting the baby’s older sibling and mother (who is light-skinned). Finally, the baby’s father (who is dark-skinned) saves the day with a diaper change, eliciting the final word of the book: “PHEW!” This simple picture book excels as a tool for early speech and literacy development. The consistent rhyming pattern helps children learn to interpret a sound with a variety of spellings. The dialogue follows suit, continuing the pattern without seeming forced or slipping into more internal rhymes, and the silly story adds to reader enjoyment. The addition of a little green stink bug on every page makes for a fun engagement tool. Borkun’s full-color, original illustrations are approachable and appealing to young readers. Additional activities help guide parents on how to best use this book to support language development.

This charming story helps children develop language and literacy while enjoying some bathroom humor along the way.