Review of “Hello, England!” by Ekaterina Otiko

Score: 95/100 (9.5 out of 10)

Have you ever dreamed of traveling world? Have you ever dreamed about visiting other countries? Other continents? Meeting new people? Learning new phrases? Trying new foods? Seeing historical sites?

Well, if any of that is your jam, then Hello, England! and this magnificent Travel Sisters series are for you!

We, personally, really enjoyed the ride!

This series follows Sophie and Stephie, the titular traveling sisters, as they travel the globe, learning new things and meeting new people. But Sophie and Stephie aren't alone! They are joined by their two adorable pups and their rainbow-shelled pet turtle. Believe it or not, these pets aren't just here as eye-candy, they are actually quite helpful to the protagonists! They're often involved in discovering hints and clues.

Perhaps most importantly, the sisters are joined by their magical globe, Globik, and their Macaw, Squawking, who serves as a guide and educator throughout these trips. It's actually from Squawking that we're able to gain a lot of information and context. In other words, readers end up learning a lot from him.

In this book, Hello, England!, our adventurous kiddos find themselves journeying to England. It is there where they learn a lot about the historically-significant land, its people, food, and even some of the unique use of the English language there!

The protagonists learn that England is actually part of the United Kingdom, a union of several lands including England itself, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. They learn that English there isn't exactly the same as it is in America. For example, a taxi driver is called a “London cabbie.” We are given the correct pronunciation of words like the river Thames, which we'd coincidentally been mispronouncing ourselves (it's actually pronounced “TEMZ”). English foods like biscuits, fish, and chips are highlighted as staples. Some things like double-decker buses are also highlighted.

However, probably the coolest thing about this book is how it highlights the far-reaching impacts of English culture and history. For example, the Beatles are arguably the most famous and popular band in history, and they came from Liverpool. The plays of Shakespeare (like Hamlet and Romeo & Juliet) are read by students in classrooms across the globe. Furthermore, English institutions like Oxford and Cambridge hold massive world-wide prestige.

However, this isn't just a book about traveling and learning things, it actually features a rather fun plot (especially for children)! See, one of the royal jewels is missing! And it's not the usual crown jewels, but a cute corgi named Jewel! Corgis, of course, were the queen's favorite and most cherished dog breed. Can the heroes find the clues and uncover the mystery behind Jewel's disappearance? Can they return the pup to its rightful, royal owner?

This book has so much going for it! One of those things are the illustrations. While they're not jaw-dropping, they are perfectly adequate to present the story and information needed. There's also a really nice little song in this book that we found really beautiful and fitting.

Most of all, though, this book was just a lot of fun and we were able to learn a bunch from it. Your children will too!

Check it out on Amazon!