Hello Ocean

I really enjoyed this book, mostly because I am a beach lover and found the illustrations to be so beautiful life-like, filled with all aspects of the beach. I especially liked close-ups of the family’s faces, because the detail was so amazing and particular, that they almost like real photographs of a family.
The book describes a day at the beach from a young girls perspective, listing all of her favorite things that she enjoys doing while at the beach. The bolded words in the text are the senses the girl is experiencing: “I SEE the ocean, gray, green, blue, a chameleon always changing hue, ” “I HEAR the ocean, a lion’s roar, crashing rumors toward the shore…” These words are poetic as well, which I think gives the text show more fluidity that mirrors the way the ocean’s waves move. I also liked how this fluidity gave the text a real calming feel, like being at the beach myself.
Phrases like: “bubbly waves that kiss the land” and “water shushing and rushing in, then whispering back to the sea again” are examples of the author’s use of personification, and also relate to how the girl is perceiving things at the beach through hearing and sight. In addition, the author shows elements of touch with: “waves that pounce in rowdy play, tide that tickles with splashing spray.”
In both the beginning and end of the book, the author uses the ocean as a way to personify all that she loves about it by starting with “Hello, ocean, my old best friend,” and ending with “Goodbye ocean, my old best friend.”
I really enjoyed the fluid and poetic nature of this book, in addition to the lovely illustrations scattered on each page. Because perception is a main idea in this book, the author did a good job of describing senses using words to show how they can be explained. The illustrations showed each sense through beautiful pictures, and the relatable beach activities like tasting the salt water and hearing boats and buoys in the distance are sure to capture children’s interests. show less

Hello Ocean by Pam Muñoz Ryan, with illustrations by Mark Estrella is a real feast for the senses. In a poetic, evocative text, a young girl describes how the ocean is her oldest and dearest friend, how she loves the sights, sounds, the touch, smells and tastes of the sea. I felt myself immersed in and enveloped by the text, I could literally see, feel, touch and smell the ocean (I could imagine myself as the little girl, experiencing the waves, the sun, the smell of the salt wind, feel the sand, the squishy sea kelp on my skin). The young girl's images became my images, she became me and I became her, and both of us became part of the ocean, the magic of the sea and its surroundings.

Mark Estrella's illustrations are wonderful, show more realistic, evocative, enchanting, showing the translucent, magical beauty of the waves, the sky, the reflection of the setting sun on the surface of the water. They provide both a realistic and magical complement, a perfect mirror of Pam Muñoz Ryan's evocative and descriptive poetry.

Like my LT friend Lisa has already stated in her own review, the scene with the fisherman is a bit problematic (in my opinion), and not so much because the person is fishing, but rather the fact that he is seemingly fishing on a public beach where children and adults are swimming, sunbathing (not altogether safe, and smelling/seeing freshly caught fish at a public beach is not an image or smell I really desire to either experience or remember). However, aside from this minor little point, Hello Ocean is truly wonderful, a reading experience redolent of the ocean, the beach, a book that makes the reader experience the seaside with all of his/her senses. show less

A young girl spends the day at the seaside in this concept book from Pam Muñoz Ryan, experiencing the beauties and pleasures of the beach using all five of her senses. Narrated by the girl herself - "Hello, ocean,/ my old best friend./ I'm here,/ with the five of me, again!" it opens - the rhyming text offers a celebration of the sounds, sights, smells, tastes, and textural feelings of the beach, concluding at sunset, as the girl bids farewell to her "old best friend."

Chosen as one of our July selections over in the Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme this month is seaside/beach reading, Hello Ocean is a book I was looking forward to reading, given my enjoyment of some of the author's other titles, particularly her show more picture-book biographies (When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson, Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride). Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd expected (or even as much as some of the other group participants, it seems). I liked Mark Astrella's artwork, done in acrylic, although I thought his seascapes were stronger than his human faces. But the text just didn't do much for me, and I can see young readers being confused about what the opening "five of me" refers to, as it isn't immediately apparent, I don't think, that the author is referring to the senses.

Still, mileage varies, and this is an engaging beach title for younger children, with simple text and engaging artwork, so I recommend that parents and teachers looking for such titles give it a try, regardless. show less

I really liked this book for several reasons. It is written in a poetic way with a lot of rhyming, which is engaging for young children. Even though there is no conflict or action, the story is about a young girl’s day at the beach and would be interesting to many adventurous and curious children. The illustrations are very detailed and realistic. The pictures cover the entire page and use calming colors such as light blue for the ocean. The colorful sunset on the last two pages were stunning and would definitely engage children. The main purpose of the story is to teach children about the five senses and how to describe them. The book has great sensory details. For example, one of the pages says, “Waves that pounce in rowdy play, show more tide that tickles with splashing spray, squishy sandy, soggy ground, slippery seaweed that wraps around”. The use of personification also makes this story more interesting. The ocean is described as “a lion’s roar”. This story is relatable to children who have gone to the beach before, but children who do not live near the ocean may not be able to connect to this story. However, it could be interesting for a child who has never been to the beach and inspire them to visit one someday There is not a lot of text on each page, which helps the poetic flow. This book is for kindergarten and first grade students, and this seems like an appropriate age level for this story. Older students would find this book easy to read and most likely think it is boring. However, it is perfect for younger students who need to practice fluency. show less

(for the Children's group). It took me too long to figure out the allusion to 'the five of me.' If a lucky child has been to the seashore, s/he'll be able to relive the experience through this girl's sharing - if not, this book will give the child the dream of going there someday. Lovely.

Hello Ocean tells a story of a girl who spends the day at the beach. The reader follows her adventure as she plays and explores. I liked this book for a few reasons. First, the illustrations were beautiful and captivating. The illustrator created hyper-realistic pictures to go along with the story, which really improved and made the book better. Second, the language and writing of this book was very clear and concise. When I read Hello Ocean, I felt like I had been transported to the beach because the writing was so descriptive. "I hear the ocean, a lion's roar, crashing rumors towards the shore, water shushing and rushing in, then whispering back to the sea again." Lastly, I enjoyed this book because the author paid special attention show more to the five senses. She includes sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch to help the readers understand what going to the beach is like. For a child who has never been to the beach, this book would take them there and for children who have, this book would be a friendly reminder. show less

A rhyming exploration of the beach through the five senses. The illustrations are a little photo-realistic for my taste, but include beautiful colors and are very reminiscent of the experience of the beach.