The message in Say Hello, which is written by Jack and Michael Foreman, is so simple. The message to young readers is that you should reach out to a person, who looks lonely or excluded, and extend a welcome by saying hello. Everyone needs and is deserving of friends and this book reminds us of that.
In terms of writing, this book can be used to help children understand how to convey a message or a theme within their writing. There isn’t a lot of text in this story, but what’s written is powerful. Therefore, it can serve as an exquisite mentor text for children who are writing about bullying and need help getting their point or big idea across to their reader.
On this Thanksgiving Day, if you find yourself at the dinner table across from someone who you don’t know, do lift the message from this book and strike up a conversation. You never know when an incredible friendship can develop as a result of just saying hello.
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION:
- Thanks to Candlewick Press for agreeing to sponsor a giveaway of Say Hello.
- To win a copy of the book please leave a comment about this post, in the comments section of this post by Thursday, December 2nd by 11:59 p.m. EST A random drawing will take place on Friday, December 3rd and the winner’s name will be announced in a blog post later that day.
- Please be sure to leave a valid e-mail address when you post your comment (Your e-mail address will not be published online.) so I can contact you to obtain your mailing address. Once I receive your mailing address, I’ll pass it along to my contact in the marketing department at Candlewick Press who will ship a copy of the book out to the winner.
Finally, if you have a new student in your class, and would like suggestions about welcoming him/her, then check out an article written by third grade teacher, Tracy Mercier, who wrote “Welcoming Hannah: The Power of Classroom Routines” for the most recent Responsive Classroom Newsletter. Her article is about welcoming transfer students once the school year is underway.
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This sounds like another wonderful book to use in the classroom. Thank you for all of the great suggestions.
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From the blog, the message in this book sounds like it could be shared with everyone… children and teachers.Over the summer, a teacher committed suicide… using this book might help us all understand the power of a simple “hello.”
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This sounds like a wonderful book with a very important message for children. I would love to get a copy of it. Thanks for all your great ideas
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What a great concept. My students could definitely benefit from this, as could my own three children.
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So simple, and so true. Being raised in the Midwest instilled in me the value to be friendly, to offer a smile and a hello to all. Moving to the Northeast made me realize that not everyone has the same approach or value attached to that simple gesture. I
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We have implemented Responsive Classroom school wide in our school this year. Greeting each other in the morning and in the hallways has changed the culture in our school. This book matches those ideas well!
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We have made it a school goal for students and staff to greet each other. This book fits nicely with our values of respect and kindness.
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How easy it is to just say HELLO! Love the concept of this book.
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Bullying can be insidious and takes on many forms in our classrooms. This looks like a wonderful resource to bring home the message to children. Another very useful resource is the Teaching Tolerance website that has just produced a wonderful free DVD resource on bulling for older children. visit http://www.tolerance.org for more.
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Thanks for sharing all these terrific titles. Read alouds are a great way to address these important issues.
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Thanks for the intro to another good book! Would love to use this in my class. We just got two new students!
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I just recently got a new student and will look for this book to read to my class!
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I so appreciate your sharing books on this important topic. So far this year my students have been considerate of each other. Though in years past it was such a struggle.
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I love your blog and the way you use books and writing for all areas of classroom life! Thanks for sharing!!
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I so enjoy checking out your site and priming my brain for educational thoughts and actions.
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Simple title, simple illustrations and a simple yet often forgotten message. Being kind is as easy as a gesture of interest.
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Thanks for another great title. The illustrations look marvelous.
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I love the idea of using this book to help my students learn how to convey a theme in their stories. And what classroom community can’t use another book that sends a message on inclusion instead of exclusion? Thanks for the tip!
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A powerful message with few words really drives home importance of word choice. Looks like another one to check out.
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What a wonderful message. Coming from a military town, we have some turn over with students. A simple hello goes so far. This would make a great mentor text and would tie into morning meetings perfectly.
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Thank you for sharing yet another book with a great message! I have a few children in mind with whom I would really enjoy reading this book. Definitely added to the wish list!
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Victims of moving (ha ha) are also people who need a “hello.” Sometimes all it takes…one domino. This is my first comment. I don’t comment much, if at all, on any site. But I love to keep up with your blog. Thanks for taking the time to inspire all who read, including a little fragile writing teacher who is trying to find her way.
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I just had a Student-Led meeting with my class about this very thing. I’d love to follow-up with the book.
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Hello! One simple word that can mean so much! Kids usually have an easier time with this than adults. Maybe I should share this with my colleagues! Great choice!
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With all the emphasis on student achievement/ test scores, it’s easy to get caught up in the demands and stress of curriculum, curriculum, curriculum. It’s so important to remember to take time daily to nurture the relationships we have with our students. There can be no “caring classroom” without a caring teacher.
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This looks like such a great book to use to validate every child in our classrooms. Meaningful anti-bullying texts and hard to find, and this looks like it would work well.
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I love illustrations done as simple charcoal and pencil drawings. This would definitely work as a mentor text for young writers on many levels.
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We are just finishing a classroom program with our school counselor called Courage to Care. No single program is enough, though. We must continue to model respect, compassion, empathy toward each other and celebrate the differences and uniqueness of each person. We cannot allow one person to stand alone to face bullies. We must stand together as friends, as classrooms, as schools, and as communities. Thanks for a great post.
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My school district is currently implementing a bullyproofing program- this book would be a great resource to my lessons on bullying!
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@missmoyer: R.C. changed my classroom dynamic too! My life, as a teacher, became much smoother once I started using it. I could never teach without it going-forward.
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Responsive Classroom has totally changed my classroom dynamic over the past 5 year. Greeting one another, hearing someone say your name, and receiving a smile has become a dynamic part of our day.
This book looks great.
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Hello
We’re in the midst of doing a lot of work on this issue, so I would love to be in the running for the free book.
Kevin
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Looks like a great book with a great message – one that we’ve been talking about a lot this year in my classroom.
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