Smile and Say Hi

An adorable story about a timid boy learning to come out of his shell with help of a magical, fantastical friend.

This cute little book is perfect for kids who aren’t quite confident socializing yet.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Mascot Books for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a children's book. This is a fabulous fun book! Full of color and rhymes. I am sure this would help a child think about being brave. 5 stars

Exceptionally well-sustained rhyming couplets tell the story of a boy who is as brave as all that in his imagination, fighting dragons off left, right and centre, but is unable to approach strangers, interact with adults and generally get on with other people without being very shy. Until one of the dragons suggests he put a bit more effort in – after all, the dragons are the creatures that know him best... The illustrations aren't fabulous, with some quite dodgy-looking dragons, and the logic of the story doesn't exactly match the structure of the versifying, but the encouragement that might be had from these pages to the right audience could be phenomenal, so I certainly recommend this.

Cute book with dragons about an introvert who has trouble speaking to people who might be friends if he only would manage to say hi. A dragon comes visit him, takes him on an adventure, and he discovers the power of the "hi".

Adorable, colourful pictures. The message doesn't feel preachy but fits naturally in the plot of the book. And it shows that speaking to other people might give you access to different ideas, and fun, and you'll glad to have done it despite finding it so hard.

As a child, it can be easy to think you're the only one who does something, and finding yourself depicted in such a book could help a lot.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

Meeting new people can be hard, but this cute little story with lyrical, rhyming text and colorful illustrations, frames meeting new people as an adventure instead of an obstacle. It’s short enough that I can see myself reading it at circle time, but long enough to get across its meaning.

What a fun book about a shy introvert like me who imagines and learns that he and by example any of us can do the hard things with just a “hi”.

I recommend this book for anyone with kids or who knows kids.

This was a fun book. My grandson (5) and I especially loved the dragons and had many conversations about riding dragons through the air. This could easily become a book that would be read over and over, thus teaching the idea of “Smile and Say Hi” to shy children. I rated it 4 stars because I would have liked to see that sentiment expressed more often throughout the book. Repetition forms habit.than you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This adorable book tells the story of Michael Joe Bob, who is incredibly shy, and his journey of finding the courage, with the help of some friendly dragons, to smile and say hi.

I really enjoyed this book and it’s rhythm and rhyme. It flowed well and is had the perfect length, with wonderful, playful illustrations to keep little ones engaged in the story.

The author has created a lovely book which will support children’s Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED) helping to support and promote confidence and resilience in young children.

What a fab book! I think children will enjoy this story and benefit from its message.

** I received an advanced copy of this ebook to read and review. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for allowing me this opportunity **

A wonderful kids book. It has wonderful eye catching illustrations. A heart warming story. The boy who was shy gets trained by a dragon friend. He then understands need of seeking adventures.

This was a really lovely sweet book , perfect for anyone with little ones who get shy/nervous around new people. This book is really well written so it keeps hold of the readers attention , accompanied with beautiful illustrations it makes a perfect read . Plus it also has dinosaurs in it...and who doesn't love them?!

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone with little ones who might just need that little bit more confidence

Smile and Say Hi is an adorable picture book about an imaginative, but shy boy. Michael has a wonderful, vibrant imagination where he has adventures with his dragon friends. With the help of his dragons, he's able to overcome his fears, to start school, and make new friends.

Thank you Mascot Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

What a cleverly written tale!

This is a charming tale of overcoming shyness and being brave.

It is beautifully written in an easy to read, poetic manner.

I loved the illustrations and would definitely read other titles from this author.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

This book is written in a couplet format with every 2 lines rhyming. The main character has quite the imagination. He is able to work through his problems in a way that kids would likely relate to. Nicely done!

This is a great tool for parents of children with social skill delays. As a parent to a child who is fairly antisocial and not neurotypical - this helps show that even if you get nervous, just try to smile and say hi. It’s ok to be scared, but just smiling and saying hi is a great way to get some confidence.

While yes - we don’t want our children talking to strangers, for some of us we do have to push them out of their comfort zone. My only issue with it is the font and font color. However, my son who has a specific learning disability in all areas of reading was able to read it just fine - where my other son who is gifted had issues.

All in all this is a lovely book that shows a scared kid how to be brave - all while getting to go on a dragon adventure!

*I was lucky to given an advanced ebook of this, thank you to the author, the publisher, and to Netgalley. This is my honest review and I received no compensate other than the ability to read this book.*

What a charming book. We loved Mike as a character and both my daughter and I could relate to feeling shy in situations. It was a lovely way of exploring the feeling of being shy and great to have an idea of just saying hi.

Floss (aged 4) The dragon race was very fun and Mike was brave and said hi to the new girl and made a friend. I'm going to try and say hi.

Thank you to the publishers and #NetGalley for the electronic ARC to review #SmileandSayHi

I can’t think of a more timely story for our family as SMILE AND SAY HI. Michael Joe Bob is a sweet boy, but hesitant to interact with other children. He goes on a magical adventure with fire-breathing dragons and he gains the confidence he needs to overcome his shyness.

Written in verse, the story flows well and is very captivating to read. Author Mary Jo Hazard infuses her experience as a children’s therapist throughout the story but does it in a whimsical way that children can relate to. Through Michael Joe Bob’s adventures, children are encouraged to use the practical mantra, “just smile and say ‘hi’”.

The illustrations by Srimalie Bassani are vibrant and engaging. My boys really enjoyed the pictures of the dragons, which are drawn in a way that seems inviting and friendly. Even when the dragons are breathing fire, they appear to have smiles on their faces and were not perceived as scary by my children.

As a mother of two shy toddlers, Smile and Say Hi is an excellent tool for parents to use to foster their children’s social skills. The book provided an opportunity for important conversations about the ways they can include other children in their play and overcome their shyness. Like many children, my boys had very limited social opportunities over the last year due to the pandemic. This book is the perfect story to help them develop a strong sense of self before beginning preschool in the fall.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Mascot Books for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a perfect little book for a child that's on the shy side.
With short, snappy rhyming verses which seem to flow really well, and the illustrations are very cute too.
Great book!

This is a good book about over coming shyness and is great for young readers, boys especially, whi fear interacting with others.

👦Colorful, rhyming story: message somewhat lost in the adventure!

3.5-4 🌟stars
This book is definitely full of colorful, cute illustrations. A child will probably love the flight of fantasy that has socially backward Mike consorting with dragons and gaining confidence as he flies the skies and socializes with his imaginary friends. But can his brave nocturnal alter ego help him break through his shyness and make friends at school?

I did not get much of a direct connection between the dragon adventures and the book's main message though I doubt this will make the story any less fun for a child. I felt the rhymes are somewhat forced at times and that more of the book could have been devoted to the title's message.

Thanks to Mascot Books and NetGalley for sharing a copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley & Mascot Books for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

A sweet story about a shy child learning how to break out of his nervous shell!

I was a bit confused about how it went from medieval times/dragons to the present day but I can chalk that up to the imagination.

I really enjoyed the message of pushing yourself to, well, "Smile & Say Hi!" because it can be something shy kids really struggle with. The dragon king was pretty fun, I liked his lines!

This was such a charming book. It offers courage, and strength to all who reads it. I think many children can relate this story. Being shy is so common in children, specially during a pandemic.
My children really enjoyed this one. They loved the fire breathing dragons. They could relate to the characters, and understood the situations Mike was facing.
I highly recommend this story for everyone! The Author sends out a really good message to the readers. At the end my children were both saying Smile and Say Hi.

Michael Joe Bob is shy. He would rather hide in his room than make new friends or try something new. But with the help of some brave dragons, he learns to come out of his shell, smile and say "Hi" to people.

As an introvert, I wondered where this story was going - I always hated being told to talk to new people, despite the promise of fun - but with the power of imaginary dragons and taking that one first step, this became a quite encouraging book for shy young kids. I especially liked how Michael needed to encourage the little dragon to be brave too.

Charmingly illustrated, this was a cute, rhyming story for young readers.

**Many thanks to NetGalley for sharing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

Smile and Say Hi is the story of Mike, a shy little kid who couldn’t talk to strangers. A team of dragons visits him one night and takes him to a dragon race. He gains confidence after that and starts to make friends at school.
The illustrations are vibrant. The story is presented in a rhyming verse. Some of it seemed a little forced, but the overall presentation was rather cute. This book would be a lovely gift for shy kids to gently urge them to take a step forward and try to talk to others.
Thank you, NetGalley and Mascot Books, for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Mascot Books for a copy of "Smile and Say Hi" in exchange for my honest review.

This book has engaging characters and colourful pages that will appeal to children from a very young age. It is a tool for parents and educators to teach shy children that a smile will go a long way in making friends.

Michael Joe Bob is smart and brave but he is very shy. He can slay dragons and wage wars but if someone comes over to him, he can't say hello.

This book teaches that you shouldn't run but smile and say hi, make friends and have fun.

The Dragon King from his wars gives him the courage to try. Michael smiled, said hi and made a new friend.

I like that the sentences end with rhyming words. There’s a flow to the plot and a good way to teach kids how to not be shy. Haven’t read many books about the topic of shyness so this was unique.

Smile and Say Hi is a delightful book which tells the story of a shy young boy becoming more confident with the help of his magical friend. I read this to my 4 year old son and he loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy.

(4/5) A cute book about overcoming your fears. Dragons teach the shy Mike how to "Smile and Say Hi" in order to go on new adventures. I picked this book up because this is something I'm constantly trying to teach my 3yo and 5yo. I loved the rhyming cadence and the colorful pictures, but I did the think the connection between the "Smile and Say Hi" mantra and winning the dragon race was a little thin. My five-year-old said he liked it "a whole lot" though, and of the four new books I read him today, this was his favorite. Thanks to Mascot Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Mike is a little boy with a BIG imagination. All night he battles dragons as the bravest knight around. But when new people approach, he goes silent. He’s just too shy.
“Smile and say hi,” his mother encourages him. But Mike can’t do it . . . not, that is, until a wild adventure with a dragon opens him up to the world he’s been missing.
This silly rhyming story about letting go of our fears is sure to appeal to any dragon lover out there. Packed with humor and elevated by whimsical art by Srimalie Bassani, Mary Jo Hazard’s Smile and Say Hi, is a must read.
A big thanks to Mascot Books for the early read!

This is a good book. The rhyming of words is good and the cutting of each line was also nice.

The drawings and the story plot were so kid-friendly. I can ask questions about each page and my kids are able to answer them right away.

Good book!

Being shy is such a common occurance for kids (even adults). This book does a really good job a letting kids know it's normal and okay to be shy, But it's also okay to say hi. The art is stunning. And any book with dragons is going to be great.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mascot Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book is the story of a young boy named Michael Joe Bob who is extremely shy and nervous about trying to make friends at school. However, thanks to some help from a few friendly dragons he is able to overcome his social anxiety by smiling and saying hi in order to make friends with a young girl named Chloe.

The art style of this book was really cute and I think it is an amazing book for children to read and a really important book for opening up discussions about social anxiety and forming new friendships when children start school or playgroups.

Smile and say hi is a book about a little boy who is very sy. His imaginary dragon friends help him to overcome his shyness and finally say hi to a girl at school. This is a lovely, very well illustrated book with not too many words on a page. Its rhyming, which I really like and would help to encourage shy children to just say hi!

Michael Joe Bob is remarkably shy. But can an encounter with a dragon encourage him to Smile and Say Hi? An adventure awaits him if he takes a gamble, and children can learn from his brave example.

My son is very into dragons right now and this was just a lovely book to look at and to read. We appreciated the topic, getting beyond shyness, without being too over bearing on the person experiencing it!

This one is so freaking cute!

The story is about a small boy who's quite shy when he meets strangers.

But he tries his best and in the end he gets enough courage to be with kids his age at his new school. And yes, the dragon in his imagination helped!

I just love the illustrations.

The story is a good representation of kids who are shy (damn relatable).

Thank you, author/artist and the publisher, for the advance reading copy.

Very cute children’s book for the shy little one in your life. I loved the bright drawings. I’d buy it.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review.

Review to come August 3rd.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I am shy myself so when I saw this book on Netgalley I knew I had to give it a shot. Also, dragons. I just cannot resist a book with dragons!

In this book we meet Mike, a boy who loves dragons, knights, and adventure.. but making friends.. not so much. Mike is supershy and I recognised a lot of me in him. I was curious how this book would go, which direction.

There is a ton of imagination in this book with dragons who help out this shy boy by doing a fun competition that brings him over his hometown including his school. I really loved seeing the dragons help out, though I also feel like, given how scared he constantly was, how he kept hiding, that it was a bit fast how he just went up to someone in the end. I am mostly speaking from my own experience here, but I don't think my imagination would have turned me 180 degrees to go for it. It may have helped a bit, but not instantly POOF I can do it. It would have taken many travels with my imagination and many more dragon adventures before I could go to someone.

I do agree with some other reviewers as to how the parents acted. That definitely wouldn't have helped me either and just would have made things worse as I would feel like I am overreacting. Mom is like: "Smile and say hi" and dad is like: "I know you're shy. But tomorrow in school, Mike, please give this a try. Just smile and say 'hi'. There's no reason to run. You'll make many friends. You'll have lots of fun." Really, dad and mom, if it was that easy I wouldn't have problem. I would have definitely gone another route if I had a child who was afraid/shy.

The art was definitely a lot of fun, the style was just so great and I love how the dragons were drawn (oh and I love that little dragon that Mike plays with in one of the illustrations and that turned out to be the big dragon in his imagination).

The book is also in rhyme and I loved that. It made the book a bit more playful, it is still about a serious subject, but made it, for me at least, a bit less OMG serious. I hope that makes sense. Haha, in my head it does. Maybe in Dutch it would work better. XD

All in all, despite some issues I had (the sudden turn, the parents) I still had fun reading this one and I would give it 3 stars.

The illustrations in this children’s book are stunning! It’s a simple message, but important for young readers. This would make a great gift for kiddos who are nervous about new experiences.

A book filled with dragons and a child who was shy and wanted to make friends so with a bit of bravery he managed to overcome his fear and just say Hi. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a great story about a boy who is too shy to make friends at school until a dragon helps him find his courage. It was very sweet and would make a great gift for any shy school-aged child.

This book is such a wonderful read for those that don't feel comfortable. Sometimes it is hard to be around people. Sometimes you are not able to speak because you are too nervous and then you feel alone. This book shares the story of a boy who finally is able to "Smile and Say Hi" to someone outside his comfort zone.

I have read this author's previous book P is for Palos Verdes and I can tell you this is just as good. Great story and illustration. Highly recommend.

Smile and Say Hi is a brand new release from Mary Jo Hazard featuring a little boy who is painfully shy. His parents encourage him to go to school and “smile and say hi” to his peers but this seems to be a daunting task. Alone in his bedroom, our hero imagines befriending a dragon who helps him fly though the air and gain confidence. The dragon follows him to school the next day, nudging him to continue being courageous when with his peers.

This precious book is set to rhyme and full of colorful dragons. I believe this book would be a spectacular book to use within a session focused on bravery and using one’s voice. Paired with a dragon craft, there are many possibilities for memorable role plays, skill rehearsals, and positive self talk strategies! Wouldn’t it be fun to follow the book and interventions with a “dragon stone” craft for the client to keep in their pocket to help them remember to be brave when making friends or using their voice!?

I appreciate that the boy doesn’t overcome https://www.instagram.com/p/CUsNPNwATTz/?utm_medium=copy_link all of his anxieties or suddenly find it easy to communicate with peers, but instead, finds the courage to simply “smile and say hi.” This is a great first step!

I am thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ecopy in exchange for an honest review. The words and opinions are my own

This rhyming picture book is about a young shy boy who is afraid to go to school because he doesn't want to have to meet new people. The advise from his parents to just smile and say hi is not something he finds useful until during some adventures with dragons the night before school he gives the same advise to a small frightened dragon. Helping the little dragon gives the boy the courage to face school and meeting new people.

The rhyming and the dragons are appealing to young readers. But for very young toddlers the dragon adventures go a little longer than their patience may last. I would recommend this for age 4 and up.

4 1/2 stars

This book is absolutely adorable! It is sure to delight young audiences with it's fun illustrations and the message about overcoming shyness to go on adventures and make new friends is conveyed in a perfect way.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Very adorable. SO cute. Loved the illustrations, they made the story. And the message of the book was nice. Great to read to kids.