The Hello Goodbye Window
written by Norton Juster
illustrated by Chris Raschka
The Hello, Goodbye Window is an adorable first person narrative that perfectly captures a child's emotions and perceptions, readers accompany a girl on a visit to Nanna and Poppy's house for bike riding, garden exploring, harmonica playing, and more--all starting with a peek through the 'hello, goodbye window'.
Juster (Phantom Tollbooth)
clearly 'gets' how kids think and what they notice about their
surroundings. His phrasing and the choice of observations are so
magically childlike! (ie: the little girl says, "I take my
nap and nothing happens until I get up.") Just as a young child would
imagine it. Adorable!
Raschka's vibrant illustrations are a
perfect fit for the text. They
exudes a childlike quality w/ squiggly lines and
exuberant bursts of color. It's not hard to imagine that this is
exactly how children would illustrate their own picture book, if only
they had Raschka's talent!
This book is an excellent
discussion starter on what constitutes "a
family" (ie: nuclear vs extended, multi- racial...). Plus, children
will undoubtedly want to talk about their own experiences with grandma
and grandpa after viewing this nostalgic book. In fact, this is our
favorite book to use on Grandparent's Day!
Reading Levels
Interest Level: Preschool - Grade 2 DRA Level: 18 Lexile Measure: 760L
Grade Equivalent: 3.3 Guided Reading: K
See Inside The Hello, Goodbye Window
Below are sample spreads from inside this book. This first spread
occurs at the beginning of the book and shows Nanna and Poppy's house.
Look closely: you can see Nanna and Poppy peaking out of a window--the
'hello, goodbye window'. To see larger versions of these pages, just click on the images. :)
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