Good Morning, Neighbor

by Davide Calì, Maria Dek (Illustrations)

A mouse decides one morning to make an omelet, but needs an egg, and sets out to find one. On his search, he eventually finds everything needed to bake a cake, including apples, flour, and sugar, but also those most precious ingredients—community and friends, from a hedgehog to an owl to a raccoon— and learns about the unexpected gifts of asking for what you need and sharing what you have.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Food, Friendship, Storytime, Cooking

38 pages, Paperback

First published September 4, 2018

About the author

Davide Calì is a Swiss-born Italian writer of picture books and graphic novels, primarily for children and young adults. He lives in Italy. His work has been published in twenty-five countries and translated into many languages.

Reviews

[sAmAnE · Rating 5 out of 5]

به نظرم برای بچه‌هایی که تمایل به انجام کار گروهی یا حتی مشارکت ندارند میتونه تلنگر خوبی باشه!

[Roya · Rating 3 out of 5]

حالا با خوندنش دلم می‌خواد زنگ بزنم به دوستام و با هم یه کیک بزرگ و خوشمزه درست کنیم و کل‌شو بخوریم🥲

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Morning, Neighbor is a bit of a riff on the classic tale Stone Soup. The story begins with Mouse, who would like to make an omelette but is missing the key ingredient of an egg. He approaches his neighbour, Blackbird, to borrow an egg, but it turns out that Blackbird is also egg-less. Blackbird does have some flour, though, and keenly points out that if the two could find an egg they could make a cake. Together the two approach yet another neighbouring animal, Dormouse, who has butter, but no eggs.



From there both the entourage and ingredient list grow as none of the animals in the neighbourhood seem to keep eggs on hand. In the end they have enough to make quite an elaborate cake, but must decide how to divvy it up among themselves.

This isn't my favourite kind of illustration, but I know it appeals to some who really like the whimsical style. The story itself is well-told and the message about sharing is good.

Thank you to NetGalley and Princeton Architectural Press for providing me with a DRC of this book.

[Rana Heshmati · Rating 5 out of 5]

براي خاطر قيافه موش موقع اشك ريختن (قلب).

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story about the importance of collaboration, working together, friendship and sharing. It is told in the repetition mode adding something each time. My grandchildren and I had fun trying to remember each animal in order as well as what they contributed to the cake. The list of what they needed was pretty complete. Of course, my grandson was concerned that the mouse never got to make the omelette he wanted until we decided that cake tasted better. We were a little worried at the end that the mouse was not going to get a piece of cake, but the animals figured out that he should get one too. The illustrations are simple, childlike watercolors that are painted in a whimsical way. They are vibrant and add much to the story. I recommend this book to primary classrooms, family and school libraries.

[Mim_farahani · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتابای دیوید کالی شیرین و سرگرم کننده‌ و خلاقانه‌ست برای بچه‌ها :)

[Afoma (Reading Middle Grade) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely story about the beauty of collaboration, friendship and inclusion. Unique illustrations too! I loved this one.

[Masoome · Rating 4 out of 5]

دلم میخواد الان قبل از خواب مثل بچگی‌ رویاپردازی کنم، رویاهایی که هیچ ارتباطی با دنیای آدم بزرگا ندارند. مثلا اینکه منم یکی از افراد
.این جنگل‌ام، برای کیک وانیل اوردم و قراره دورهم کیک درست کنیم
✨🤍

[Ghazaal B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

-آه- :)

[Mieke Schepens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael De Cock heeft door zijn vertaling van dit prentenboek van Davide Cali gezorgd voor een ritmische gebeurtenis waardoor het heel fijn is om uit voor te lezen. Het verhaal danst!
Het verhaal doet een beetje denken aan 'Zwaan kleef aan', beter bekend als 'De Gouden Gans' waarbij iedereen die een gouden vogel aanraakt er aan vast blijft kleven en daardoor uiteindelijk een prinses die nooit kon lachen in lachen laat uitbarsten. Eind goed... al goed.
Natuurlijk is dit een heel ander verhaal.
Lees hier meer over de auteurs, het verhaal en mijn mening: https://graaggelezen.blogspot.com/201...

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this beautifully illustrated story of a little mouse who wants to make an omelet. He sets out to find an an egg and instead, discovers everything needed to bake a cake — apples, flour, and sugar, but especially, community and friends including a sweet owl, raccoon and hedgehog. Teaches children the importance of asking for what you need and sharing what you have with others. 5/5

Pub Date 04 Sep 2018

Thanks to Princeton Architectural Press and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#GoodMorningNeighbor #NetGalley

[Etienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A kid book about the importance of collectivity and working together. It also take the form of always adding and element to the same sentences over and over again, which can be fun to try to remember and working memory trick with your child. Nothing really special about it, but well done!

[Myndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on my blog, Mad Book Love

It all starts with a little mouse who wants to fix an omelet, but has no egg. It ends with a cake for all to share!

Naturally, my eyes always land on the illustrations first, and what a delight these were! They appear painted, with obvious brush strokes, that give each scene depth and character. The colors are warm and natural, embracing the adorable woodland characters and their natural habitat.

The story itself is about how one small idea that benefits the originator can blossom into a bigger idea that benefits all who play apart in its creation. While the original goal is to find a neighbor with an egg for the mouse to make an omelet, each neighbor - none of whom seem to have an egg - offers an alternative, so that a cake can be made instead. At the end, there is a quick lesson about the value of an idea being equal to the tangible parts that physically make up the end product. Not a lesson I've seen in a children's book before, but an essential one.

The messages about teamwork and sharing are certainly worthwhile, the story is cute, and the illustrations are stupendous. Lovely book all around.

Note: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley. I pride myself on writing fair and honest reviews.

[امیرمحمد حیدری · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتابی به‌شدت جذاب در مورد اهمیت ایده‌پردازی، همکاری و مشارکت و دوستی و البته فواید و نتیجه‌ی خوب‌شان.

[Lauren Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is super cute! I love that it teaches kids to be kind to one another! I decided do recommend!

[Kayla Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a dang adorable books about ideas, sharing, and community. The illustrations are great. The only thing missing is the recipe for the cake! It sounds delicious and I want to make it!

[Emily]

sharing, cakes, friendship, reverse red hen! looove

[Cecelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does reading about food make you hungry? Sometimes (often) I will salivate over a meal I’ve come across in a novel. So obviously, the only option left is to make it. I once stopped reading Neil Gaiman’s Stardust mid-book to bake bread, and I learned to make cinnamon rolls (and other treats!) because of their descriptions in Robin McKinley’s Sunshine. Last year I made dinosaur cookies after reading Cookiesaurus Rex. My latest picture book read, Good Morning, Neighbor by Davide Cali and illustrated by Maria Dek, inspired me to make an apple-raisin cake.

A mouse wants to make an omelet but doesn't have an egg. That is how this adventure begins! Mouse visits various animal neighbors asking for an egg, but instead gathers all of the ingredients for an apple-raisin cake. In the end, a bat has an egg, an owl has an oven, and a cake is baked! But... who will get a slice? Ideas are important contributions, and the animals agree that sharing is the order of the day.

Good Morning, Neighbor is a story about asking your community for help, sharing the results of a group project (in this case, baking a cake), and being fair to everyone who contributed—all great lessons for little readers and their adults. The messages are "baked in," so to speak (see what I did there?), and all of the talk of cake is enough to make you want to bake your own (as I did), and reflect on the story. Reading + baking would be a fun, parent/grandparent/friendly adult-kid activity this autumn.

Mouse's travels from neighbor to neighbor grow with every page as he adds another animal to his entourage. The repetition of each animal involved during each stage of the egg search is a child-friendly device, but may weary adults by the end. Otherwise, the prose is unexceptionable, and even includes a funny aside on the last page. This book is made to be read aloud, and the illustrations pored over.

Speaking of the illustrations! Maria Dek's watercolors are the absolute star of the book. The quirky designs have a cute/eccentric vibe with lots of little forest-y details. My favorite page spreads were those with closeups where an animal almost covered the page, and showed them in their home environment. The book design is also top-notch, with text placement, size, and weight varying based on the action. In all, a visual feast of a book (I will keep going with these food puns until someone yells "Put a fork in it!").

Recommended for: anyone looking for read aloud books about sharing, baking, or being a good neighbor for the 3-6 year old set, and picture book fans with an eye for art and design.

[Storywraps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mouse wakes up one morning and craves an omelet but guess what? He needs an egg. Where in the world can he get one? He decides to go to his neighbour Blackbird to borrow one. That seems like a good idea doesn't it? Unfortunately Blackbird doesn't have an egg but he does have some flour and suggests that perhaps instead of making an omlet they could make a cake. That seems like a good idea but they still need that egg.

Together they go to their neighbour, Dormouse, who has butter, but still no egg. On and on they trek going door to door asking their neighbour's help and collecting what they can. Finally they have enough ingredients to bake the cake. Yeah!

Happily they mix it up and pop it into Mrs. Owl's oven then voilà .... it's cake-eating time!

This delightful story of accumulation of diverse animals and their valuable individual contributions is a true celebration of teamwork and community. The watercolour illustrations are bold, full of expression and detail, perfect to capture and ignite a child's imagination. The repetition of the growing list of characters and the phrase "Good morning, neighbor" will have kids fully engaged in the storyline as the story progresses.

The message to take away is if you don't have something you need ask politely for help and share what you have with others. I recommend this book for home, classrooms and libraries.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

One morning, Mouse wakes up and wants an omelet for breakfast. The trouble is, he doesn’t have an egg. So he asks the blackbird for an egg. Blackbird has flour, but no egg perhaps they could make a cake instead! The two set off to find an egg, and along the way, they gather more and more animals and ingredients. The dormouse has butter. Mole has sugar. Hedgehog has apples. Raccoon has cinnamon. Lizard has raisins. And finally, Bat has an egg! Owl lets them bake the cake in her oven. But when the divvying up of the cake comes into question, does Mouse get anything? After all, she didn’t really contribute something. Or did she?

This book is a clever riff on Stone Soup where everyone’s contributions come together to make something much more special. It uses repetition very nicely to give it a distinct folklore flavor. The final question of whether Mouse gets a slice of cake for initiating the idea and the entire process is an interesting one. The end will satisfy everyone except maybe hungry children who will want some apple cake themselves.

The illustrations add to the folklore appeal with their friendly animals and forest setting that is whimsically depicted. Each animal has their own personality and feel thanks to the illustrations and the way they appear on the page.

A great read-aloud choice that would pair well with autumn stories about apples and baking. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Morning, Neighbor by Davide Cali, illustrated by Maria Dek. PICTURE BOOK. Princeton Architectural Press, 2017. $18. 9781616896997

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE.

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

A mouse has a plan to make an omelet but needs an egg. When she goes to ask her neighbor the blackbird, the blackbird tells mouse that she doesn’t have an egg but she has flour and maybe they could make a cake. And so they go to the next neighbor to see if they have an egg but they have butter. And so the story goes until they are able to make the cake and have to decide how to divide and share it.

I thought this book was darling from start to end. The art is a bit Scandinavian in style and completely charming and the text is fun to read aloud. On top of that, there is a great message about sharing and being careful not to leave someone out. I didn’t make it “essential” because I don’t think this is a book kids will pick up over and over again, but it is a very good one-read book.

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...

[Jackie Ostrowicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whimsical book about being neighborly, sharing, making a cake, and the fact that it takes a team to do just about everything. :) I love that Princeton Architectural Press is putting out some children's books. My little is old enough to read chapter books, but still loves the rich illustrations in a great picture book.

Kirkus Reviews says, "Forest friends need an egg to bake a cake, and while their animal neighbors cannot offer all the other necessary ingredients, they do join the confectionary quest.

This endearing story’s accumulation of animals, donations, and repetitive phrasing cleverly underscores (and embodies) the abundant, collaborative love of a tightknit community. When it’s finally time to cut the cake, readers might feel eager to initiate their own cooking project or perhaps simply to run across the way to find a friend.

Teamwork, sharing, and neighborly friendship emerge as integral ingredients in this sweet, satisfying book for young readers."

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was sent over the edge with this one. Let me go on a tear about this random children's book that probably only half deserves it.

Why have a mouse and a dormouse in the story? And only 2 characters apart in the plot. Even 5yo said, "Why 2 mouse?" Why indeed. Pick a different animal.

Story - too long - didn't read. Just kidding. I did read it, but I omitted parts of the last few pages. Perks of having a kid who can't read yet. They still caught me.

Illustrations - I really do respect these professionals, but... that bat is going to give me nightmares. And the picture of it hanging in the tree with the other animals - why is it out of proportion with everything else? If I saw a bat that large in real life, I'd never leave the house again. The hedgehog, was that really a hedgehog? And the owl on the cover - I thought it was a rodent with wings.

I'm done. I've had my say. Sweet dreams, everyone...just not of that bat. OK, I'm really done now.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mouse wants to bake a cake, but needs an egg, so off he goes to borrow one from Blackbird, who offers flour and suggests dormouse, etc...An assortment of other animals are approached for an egg, with each offering a different ingredient needed for the cake. All the animals join in the parade with their ingredients to search for the egg. Finally found, they go to owl to prepare and bake the cake in owl's oven. Once finished, the cake gets cut into 8 pieces, but there are 9 animals! Mouse is voted out as he didn't contribute any ingredient! What's poor mouse to do?? Illustrations were detailed and fun; easy to follow the animals in their search for cake ingredients. Cute twist of a book on the Little Red Hen!
Cumulative tale for kids 4 and up.

[میم صالحی فر · Rating 4 out of 5]

عنوان فارسی: صبح بخیر همسایه
نشر چ (چشمه)

موشی می خواهد برای صبحانه املت درست کند، اما تخم مرغ ندارد و به همین خاطر به سراغ همسایه اش توکای سیاه می رود. اما توکا هم تخم مرغ ندارد و پیشنهاد می‌دهد تا به جای املت با آردی که دارد کیک درست کنند و باقی مواد کیک را هم از دیگران بگیرند. در نهایت با همیاری و همکاری جمعی و گروهی، کیک آماده شده و داخل فر می رود.
اما وقتی کیک آماده می شود، چگونه باید آن را تقسیم کنند؟
آیا به موشی که سهمی در وسایل کیک نداشته هم باید سهمی بدهند یا نه؟


https://taaghche.com/book/66652/%D8%B...

[کیه!؟ · Rating 4 out of 5]

بسم الله...

میدانید اولش نه از اسم کتاب خوشم آمد و نه از تصاویر! اما وقتی برای پسرک خواندم و همان ادا و اطوارهای همیشگی قصه گویی را رعایت کردم، دیدم از آن داستان هاست که جون می دهد برای جمعی از بچه ها تعریف کنی و یا نمایش عروسکی شود و یا تئاتر کودک! از بس که ظرفیت تصویری و نمایشی بالایی دارد...

و یحیا آنقدر خوشش آمد که از شب بعدش هر داستانی برایش خواندم، به نظرش لوس و بی مزه یا به قول خودش "غمگین کننده" می آمد و مثل داستان "موشی که می خواست املت درست کند" دلش میخواست....
تازه! از آن روز علاقه عجیبی به املت پیدا کرده آن هم برای داستانی که املتش آخر کار، کیک از آب در آمد...

29/9/401

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received an e-galley from Netgalley in return for an honest review.*
Great story about team work and how everyone can add something to make something more. Mouse wants to make an omelet, but doesn't have an egg! He asks his neighbor if they have one and they don't, but they do have flour and they decide to make a cake instead. The story continues with more neighbors and lots of repetition. Would be great for small children as a flannel board story too.

[Kay-Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story had a bit of a Julia Donaldson feel to it, the way it built up and the list of animals involved grew. The illustration is quite different though, it's a bit rougher and looks hand painted. It's still beautiful to me but I felt like my kids couldn't really follow the story based on the pictures. For example; what is the lizard doing on page 20? Pea-shooting raisins?
I found the story a bit too long for the intended audience.

[Juliana Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mouse needs an egg to make an omelet. He asks his neighbor who doesn't have an egg, but offers him flour for a cake instead. They continue to ask more and more friends for an egg. None of them have an egg, but each contributes something for a cake. They finally find an egg and an oven. When the cake is finished, they share it equally with everyone who contributed something... even Mouse who didn't contribute anything but the idea.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A progressive story (that builds upon itself) and tells of a group of forest animals gathering ingredients to make a cake. Can be interactive, but might be a little involved. Maybe each kid could have a picture of what animal they are, and call it out when it repeats the list of animals? Or they could make an instrument sound when it calls out their character. It also repeats the phrase of "Good Morning, neighbor! Do you have an egg..." so that would be fun to repeat.