https://booktrib.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Hello-Neighbor.jpg
My love affair with picture books began in 1997 when I was a graduate student at the University of Virginia. Call it kismet, providence or just being in the right place at the right time. I enrolled in EDIS 7700 – Foundations of Reading Instruction taught by Professor Joan Kindig, and by the end of that very first class, I was hooked. Dr. Kindig began each two-hour class by reading a picture book, captivating the attention of every student in that room. These were not just run-of-the-mill picture books that she shared. Instead, they were extraordinary; be it theme, illustrations or language, each one was remarkable and somehow made its way into my fourth-grade classroom for read aloud.
I have never forgotten what Professor Kindig taught me 23 years ago. Not all picture books are equal. Like most things in life, quality matters … a lot. Hello, Neighbor: The Kind and Caring World of Mister Rogers (Holiday House) by 2008 Caldecott Medal recipient Matthew Cordell is one such book. Everything about this book screams “quality” down to the weight of the paper it’s printed on. Unlike the majority of picture books, Cordell is both author and illustrator of this outstanding biography of Fred McFeely Rogers. This book demonstrates Cordell’s adept ability to “marry” the visual world, where he is admittedly most comfortable, and the meticulous world of language.
Hello, Neighbor provides readers with a chronological narrative of Mr. Rogers’ life beginning in early childhood. Cordell focuses on young Freddie’s interests, dreams and challenges. He was a shy boy and occasionally bullied. Somehow, though, young Fred manages to “turn lemons into lemonade” by using his time alone to develop a rich and whimsical imagination. This early ability to see the good inside the bad laid the foundation for what would later lead to the important topics explored on the television show Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. Cordell highlights the significant influence that Fred Rogers’ extended family had on him, undoubtedly helping to shape the kind and caring man he was to become. Grandfather McFeely’s repeated refrain, “Freddie, you made this a special day, just by being you,” is one such example that all of us should take to heart today.
INSPIRED BY FAMILY
Cordell’s layout of joyful illustrations is nothing short of brilliant. Each picture begins as a pen and ink sketch and is finished with soft washes of color. The delicate visuals provide readers with the calm and quiet strength clearly mirrored in Fred Rogers’ life. Cordell includes a “visual glossary,” that is particularly engaging, chock full of fascinating factual tidbits and archival photographs from Rogers’ life and TV show. This book is written for children, yet begs to be read by adults and kids together … over and over. Something new can be discovered each time.
I would be remiss if I didn’t discuss Cordell’s motivation for writing this book. Like many writers, Cordell looked to his own family for inspiration. Watching reruns of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood on PBS with his daughter, Cordell felt a powerful wave of nostalgia. How different it was to watch the show as an adult and parent. He was struck by the show’s sincerity, kindness and deliberate slow pace — all things he would like for his daughter to experience in life. Cordell’s biography Hello, Neighbor is about possibility. Ordinary people like Fred Rogers can change the world.
