Warm Words

This lovely debut by Bergstrom-Delancellotti meanders through a lively ecosystem just waking up to greet a new day. Readers follow along as the amber sun peeks over a distant mountain range and greets the brightening world, giving kids a bird’s-eye view of a richly hued landscape before zooming in to observe the animals, birds, and plants that make up this dazzling habitat. “Hello trees / Hello leaves / Hello gentle morning breeze,” whispers the story’s narrator, as they follow the sounds, smells, and sights of a sleepy morning coming to life. Geese search for breakfast, bees swarm over kaleidoscopic flowers, and a family of ducklings glides across a mirrored pond.

Children—and the adults lucky enough to share this gentle story with them—will be immersed in Bergstrom-Delancellotti’s natural wonders, depicted with textured pastel illustrations by Elizabeth Casimiro, from the rolling hills to the towering pines. Every level of nature is examined in minute detail: osprey chicks huddle inside their high-rise nest, enjoying “a quiet place / to hide and rest”; a cherry-red farmhouse—complete with a rocking farmer on the porch, enjoying a breakfast of toast and jam—overlooks scenes of grazing lambs and inquisitive pigs; hungry trout and bass glide through the river, partaking in a game of hide-and-seek in the swaying reeds; and zigzagging snails leave twisty trails across the earth.

Hello Sun is a heartening lullaby to Mother Nature that will encourage younger readers to pause and carefully observe the beauty of the world around them. Bergstrom-Delancellotti also illuminates the life under our feet, showing a vast underground network of tunnels along with the worms and moles that made them. Every page rewards contemplation, with even the text itself echoing the story’s events: turtles stretch out the word “slow,” while a compact, italicized fastsuggests the springing speediness of a hare. The result is a dreamy foray into all that nature has to offer.

Takeaway: Dreamy landscapes and lively animals greet a new day.

Great for fans of: Laura Brand’s Slow Down and Be Here Now, Libby Walden’s A Walk Through Nature.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A