Book Review for Vardell 5603 -- The Hello Goodbye Window

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Juster, Norton. 2005. THE HELLO, GOODBYE WINDOW. Ill. by Chris Racshka. NY: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 9780786809141.

2. PLOT SUMMARY

The kitchen window in Nanna and Poppy's house is special. It is called the Hello, Goodbye window. As the unnamed narrator visits with her Nanna and Poppy, we experience life through the eyes of a child. It is part magic, part real, part serious, and part not.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Juster's characters are fully realistic, and the book has a simple, easy plot line. Raschka's illustrations are very simplistic water color and look like they have been done by a child. Many may feel that the simple illustrations contribute to the overall feel of comfort and imagination, but I do not. I feel that many excellent opportunities for superior illustrations were missed with the surreal/almost abstract form of the illustrations. The one spread that was effective was the starry night. The dark sky contrasted extremely well with the lit window framing the faces of Nanna and the narrator.

In light of the many awards and starred reviews, I realize that my opinion is in the minority. I do, however, still feel that children need quality illustrations in books. If they are to be suggestive and stimulating for the imagination, they can be so without being childlike.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

Kirkus starred review -- “Juster adopts the voice of a child with a steady, sweet candor” -
School Library Journal starred review -- “Raschka’s visual interpretation of this sweet story sings… this is the art of a masterful hand”
Booklist starred review -- "Two well-known names come together in a book that speaks to the real lives of children.”
Publishers Weekly starred review -- "Juster crafts an endearing portrait of a grandchild and her grandparents in this endearing book illustrated in paintbox colors by Raschka. . . Grandparents will be especially charmed by this relaxed account of how a child's visit occasions everyday magic." -
The Horn Book -- “Say hello to Raschka at the top of his form.”

5. CONNECTIONS**

*Have children visualize thier own homes or their grandparents' and have them draw and color the kitchen.
*Sing "Oh, Susannah" with the children
*Have children fold a piece of drawing paper in quarters. In each quarter, they can
draw a window frame. In each frame they can draw and label one thing the little girl
saw looking in or out of the window.

**These story connections and more are available from Hyperion Books for Children teaching guide available at http://www.hyperionbooksforchildren.com/data/books/tgpdf/07868091401500.pdf