LS 5603 The Hello, Goodbye Window

Juster, Norton. The Hello, Goodbye Window. Ill. Chris Raschka. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2005.

ISBN: 0-7868-0914-0

The "hello, goodbye window" is a child’s window the world and a viewing screen for her imagination. She can surprise her grandparent (and they, her) by popping up unexpectedly in the window and making silly face. She imagines who will pass by the window as they come to visit. She takes comfort in the daily rituals at her grandparents’ house– such as watching Poppy make breakfast or helping Nanna in the garden. She hopes to one day have a "hello, goodbye window" when she too is a Nanna.

The Hello, Goodbye Window is a very colorful and comforting book. The topic of spending a day with grandparents is one most children will be able to identify with. Chris Raschka’s illustrations, with their almost unfinished quality, leave open to interpretation what exactly the characters or setting look like: they could imagine that that kitchen is their kitchen! Bright splotches of color collide with bold lines to make the world in the story an interesting and engaging place to be.

The July/August 2005 issue of The Horn Book Magazine states: “The familial love that is Juster’s subtext finds overt expression, spectacularly, in Raschka’s illustrations—lush mixed media creations saturated in watercolor and pastel crayon and set off perfectly by white space. In paintings that are freewheeling yet controlled, Raschka incorporates tight circular scribbles (for the little girl’s and Nanna’s hair, for bushes, for clouds), solid shapes (for furniture, for floors); thick strokes of watercolor (for trees, for the door that separates the little girl and her grandparents when her parents come to take her home); and a black line that outlines occasional objects—everything from Poppy’s glasses to electrical outlets to a flower Nanna picks.”

Children who enjoy this book may also like similar titles such as 41 Uses for A Grandma by Harriett Ziefert, Grandparents! By Roser Capdevila, The Grandma Book by Todd Parr, or the Grandpa Book by Todd Parr. If the illustrations by the artist drew them in, share these two tiles written and illustrated by Chris Raschka: Arlene Sardine and The Blushful Hippopotamus.

This story could also inspire children to make up stories about what they would see out of their own “hello, goodbye window.”