The main character in Hello Sun is a quirky little camera named Clicky. He has joined the Malinda Martha family on a safari into the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, Africa. Chanting his signature poem, "I have the greatest eye in the land . . . Give me light. Lend me a hand," Clicky focuses in on snapping delightful pictures of a lioness and her four cubs at rest and play in the vast savannah. During the course of this 32-page illustrated book, kids ages 4 to 8 will pick up photography terms like "wide-angle," "zoom lens," "focusing," and "shutter."

The illustrations by Susan Arciero are delightful. African cloth designs--enriched with drawings of birds and native African animals--form the pages' borders. In addition, the illustrator has hidden a tiny picture of a mouse on each page for the children to find.

Hello Sun is a slice-of-life story, specifically a tiny slice of a life for a lioness, her cubs, and a camera. Because this book was published in 2000, the camera depicted is a little out of date, but the story is timeless. This is a fun read for the little ones. The 5.5 x 9-inch book is easy for a child to hold and enjoy.

In addition, games and party ideas to accompany the book can be found at this link: http://www.images-press.com/_files/letsDoIt_helloSun.pdf. All of the books from Images Press offer a variety of fun "extras." They are worth checking out at www.images-press.com

Product review by Susan K. Marlow, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, July 2010