And Here's To You!

by David Elliott, Randy Cecil (Illustrator)

AND HERES TO YOU!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Realistic Fiction, Poetry, Fiction, Family

24 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

David Elliott is the author of THE COOL CRAZY CRICKETS and THE TRANSMOGRIFICATION OF ROSCOE WIZZLE. He says of AND HERE'S TO YOU!, "My neighbor’s rooster and I were having a disagreement. I wanted to sleep in the morning; he wanted to crow. The rooster won, of course. The first verse of AND HERE'S TO YOU! is a tribute to his victory and to the joys found in simply following your nature."

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending was really sweet! I read it to my little sister and she enjoyed it a lot. This was a pretty good book, and I recommend it to any young children.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Elliott pays tribute to all kinds of creatures in this poetic picture-book, from those "leggy people" known as bugs, to those "purring people" known as cats. He includes human people in his circle of love as well, and concludes with a tribute to "you" - i.e.: the listener - and an assurance that he (or whomever is reading the book) loves the "you" being addressed.

A sweet little book, one which pairs Elliott's entertaining text in rhyme with bright, colorful artwork from Randy Cecil, And Here's To You! is part love letter to all of the creatures of the world, and part reassurance tale for the young listener, offering affirmation and love. Because of the way it is constructed, concluding with a declaration of love, I think it would be best as a read-aloud between a parent and child, and it is to those looking for such titles that I would recommend it.

[Melissa Chung · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've decided to do a spotlight on David Elliot because I loved his YA poetry re-tellings so much. What did I think about this picture book? It was okay. The illustrations by Randy Cecil were adorable and colorful and had the feel that it was done in colored pencil, which I loved. Speaking of love, that is what this book is about. David uses the figures of repetition in this book called epistrophe to prove a point. The cool thing about reading these children's, picture books and somewhat analyzing them for this review, is learning something new. I took a poetry workshop in college and I don't remember learning this word Epistrophe. David doesn't talk about the word in his story obviously, but I looked it up anyway. What the word means is, basically repeating the same word at the end of each sentence of the poem.

"Here's to the spiny ones,
The river and the briny ones,
The toothy and the eely ones,
All squishy squishy-feely ones."

If you come across this type of repetition you can skillfully say what figure of repetition it is for there are many. http://rhetoric.byu.edu/Figures/Group...

Now lets talk about the love aspect. This book talks about loving many creatures: birds, fish, bears, frogs, bugs, cats, dogs, cows and people, but especially yourself. Each creature has many facets of itself and you should love your many selves as well.

Overall it has a great message, I learned something new and the illustrations are super bold and colorful great for any child. I'd say the age group for this book is about 1st/2nd grade level. There are so upper vocab, but not much.

On to the next one...

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 - I didn't really like this too much. And um, I didn't really get it too much either. Bears = hungry people? Huh? Birds are the feather people?
I'm constantly mind boggled at how many authors make their living with what amounts to no work. I mean, this is basically what you would expect when you hear a toddler rambling. Make that a very tired child rambling.
I fail to see the greatness. And for the record, Julia failed to see it as well.
*Don't ask where the .5 comes in. I'm not sure.*

[Morgan Drummond · Rating 3 out of 5]

When first reading this book I did not know what to expect. "And Here's to You!" can mean so many different things. This book is about saying Here's to You to all sorts of different animals, bugs, people and yourself. It tells facts about all of the different things it talks about. The message I get out of it is saying Here's to You also like saying good for you. I think it means thank you and to be proud of yourself. It is all about loving different things and eventually being proud of yourself and loving yourself. I think the message in this story is good. I really enjoy books that are made to make you be proud of yourself and love things around you. In the story it talks about bugs and cats and so much more and how much and why you should love them. The pictures are nice too. They are detailed and very colorful. The words are on the pages spread out in a way that book are not normally. They have a lot of different forms and shapes the words are done in. I really enjoyed this book and think kids will too.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do not like the illustrations at all. And most of the lines, as another reviewer says, could have been cribbed from a preschooler's rambling monologues. But there is this bit, from the Fish spread:

Here's to the spiny ones,
The river and the briny ones,
The toothy and the eely ones,
All squishy squishy-feely ones.

Not great, but would work as a mentor text. I'd be glad to encourage children write Here's to the Trees or Here's to the Stars or Here's to Math or whatever they chose. Professional writers are encouraged not to overuse adjectives, but they're a good place to start for young children.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such an infectiously wonderful phrase: "here's to..." The poems that came after reading this were lively and authentic. And I love the art and rhythm of the phrases here. The kids loved the line, "Oh, I love the [whatever it is]" every time it came around. I wish I loved the idea of renaming all animals as a sort of people, but it never works for me. It feels like a stretch to something that isn't necessary. Also, I always skipped the last two spreads -- the shift to the personal always takes away from the fun of naming all the things we love in life.

[Brenica Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. And Here's to You! by David Elliott and Illustrated by Randy Cecil. 2004
2. Social and Emotion setting. A positively kind and encouraging and repetitive poem that shows an appreciation for various types of people and animals.
3. I would use this book in my classroom by having the children draw pictures of their favorite animal and the members of their family and then have them tell me what they love about each of them.

[Vanessa Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a girl who is highlighting everything in life that she is thankful for and she is so in love with it all. At the end of the book, she says she loves you and I think that this is adorable. I am not sure if I would read this aloud with a class because it says I love you at the end but as a parent I think that this is an awesome book to read to your children or even siblings it has a very sweet message.
Author: David Elliott
Illustrator: Randy Cecil
Publisher: Candlewick March 24, 2009

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celebrate birds, thanks to the irrepressible fun of this book.

Both writing and illustrations may lift your spirits. (Did for this Goodreader!)

The picture book is simple enough for two-year-olds, yet the nature-loving enthusiasm can prove contagious for readers of any age.

FIVE STARS for a memorably sweet-and-affectionate treat of a storybook.

[Hailey Licata · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so wholesome and sweet. I love that this book shows diversity within characters and animals, and add fun, rhyming twists. It is so much fun of a read, but in the nd really pulls the heartstrings.

[Jessica Pinnick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely for younger kids. It was a fun interactive picture book with a great ending

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read and a fun cadence.

[Marlene · Rating 2 out of 5]

A cheer for everything living in the world, especially you. Very nice and color illustrations with easy to read language.

[Kaley Coburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Positive book about appreciating everything

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever book with a fun rhythm. Illustrations are unique and entertaining.

[Sydney Kalacinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fun and silly and would be great for children of all ages.

[Liberty · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book someone has read in class!

[Emilee Ireland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice appreciation of things, very optimsitic view and happy. Would definitely have in a classroom and use as a read aloud for all ages.

[Sage · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a good read! I loved the ending especially! Would definitely read to my kids because they need to feel included.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, BRIGHT pictures. The prose was a little odd (teeter-tottering between stilted and catchy.)

[Tori Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

"And Here's to You!" by David Elliott is a charming and heartwarming celebration of friendship, diversity, and the joy of being oneself. Through lyrical text and vibrant illustrations, the book highlights the unique qualities and contributions of various animal characters, from the clever crow to the graceful giraffe. With its rhythmic verse and playful language, "And Here's to You!" is a delightful read-aloud that encourages children to embrace their individuality and appreciate the differences that make each of us special. This book is a wonderful reminder that we all have something valuable to offer and that true friendship knows no bounds.

[Samara Winter · Rating 3 out of 5]

And here's to you is a cute book. This book is about a girl who loves life and every living thing in it. She lists birds, bears, fish, people, and even insects. She describes them in a positive light and not a negative connotation.

The moral I think of this story is to appreciate everything. This little girl appreciates every living thing she named in this book. She choses to shine good light on these animals and celebrate them. This book also teaches children about diversity. She lists different adjectives about the animals such as "Here's to the bears! The Hungry people! Bears! Here's to the black ones. The humps on their backs ones. Here's to the white ones. The swimming through the night ones."

This book is not overly didactic at all. The idea to appreciate every living thing is present on every page but the author choses not not put in the text, to love life and everything in it. The tone of this book is appreciative and celebratory. This is not only shown in the text but also the colors in the book: light purple, yellow, orange, baby blue. I like that the book "talks" to the readers, in the last page it says "yes you, I love you" It engages the readers.

[Caroline (Cary) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young girl narrates this illustrated poem celebrating the animal world and the diverse world of people. It is beautifully illustrated, with rhythmic, rhyming text. The people featured in the illustrations are multi-ethnic and varied in age and shape. The text gives equal consideration to animals fuzzy and fierce, slimy and winged. The illustrations are brightly colored, painterly, and well-integrated with the text, which flows rhythmically throughout the book. The poem is repetitive and paced to hold a child's attention. This book celebrates diversity and promotes acceptance of people's differences. Recommended purchase. Ages 4-8.

[Libby Forgues · Rating 5 out of 5]

Illustrator: David Elliott

This is a good book to learn things around the world. This would be good to introduce as a writing lesson about themselves. This is a joyful poem with amusing artwork that invites us to celebrate the world’s vast diversity.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Candlewick (March 24, 2009)
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 076364126X

[Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mom gave this book to Jack for his birthday. It is a really cute book and the kids LOVED it! The illustrations are perfect, cutsie, but the kids can still tell what kind of animal it is. It can be frustrating to read a book to them when the picture doesn't really look like a dog. A good storytime/Ilove you book. The prose is very fun to read.

[Dana (thatisagreatread) · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE this book! It is such a fun book to read to a child because it talks about the various animal groups and then at the end of the book it makes it personal by saying "And here's to you, the YOU person, YOU! I love you, you you person you! My daughter loves it because it makes her feel super special. :)

And illustrations are great, too! :)

[Savanna Kandiko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Illustrations are bright and fun, very age appropriate and captivating. Pages appear to be painted. Each page uses a different background color to keep the attention of young children. The illustrations and layout of each page really connect with the words of the story. You could most definitely share this story without words.

[Tammy Knowles · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book And Here's to You, by David Elliott is a book bout poem with animals and people. It teaches about diversity and how to accept people and there differences. It also consist of some great repetition rhyming poems and beautiful colors. This is a good book to teach students about how some people and things are different.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading this to my kids and they love hearing it. They each pick characters of the book that they get to "be". During the last two pages we have a silly little routine we go through that involves lots of tickling and giggling - they just LOVE it!