Although this book does not directly present a situation in which something would require cause for hope, the idea that goodbyes are not always bad because there might be good memories and happy times ahead is a very uplifting message. This picture storybook is also a part of the modern realistic fiction genre, because all of the events that occur could actually happen and the setting is very realistic. The overall composition of this book is fantastic, because none of the illustrations take away from the words or overpower the story. He occasionally isolates some of his drawings, which sometimes emphasizes the importance of his themes: towards the end of the book, a picture of the little girl hugging her grandparents is isolated, which may point to the importance of family connections.
Raschka’s style is very impressionistic, because he incorporates a lot of light into his illustrations and does not focus on outlining or clearly defining his drawings. The beautiful illustrations offer visual interest, and the small amount of words on each page making reading this story aloud very easy. The language Juster uses is child-friendly and authentic: when the little girl talks about what she does during the day, she uses very few variations in her transition words and sometimes jumps from one description to another very quickly, which is quite representative of how children actually speak. The colors Raschka uses to illustrate the people suggest a multicultural family, which makes ethnic stereotyping less of a problem. More specifically, the idea of having a special place where a child and his/her friend or relative can connect is something that children will relate to. The Hello, Goodbye Window is a unique story because it is so personalized. The little girl thinks this is both happy and sad, but is very happy that the Hello, Goodbye Window will always be waiting for her when she comes back. Eventually, the little girl’s time at her grandparents’ house is over and her parents come to pick her up. She loves to think that anyone could pass by the Hello, Goodbye Window, and spends a lot of time just sitting next to it and imagining the range of people and animals who could come by. During the day, the little girl tells us about playing in her grandma’s garden and getting sprayed with the hose by Grandpa.
The little girl loves playing in the kitchen, listening to her grandpa play the harmonica, and pretending that the window is a mirror when it gets dark outside. She explains that the Hello, Goodbye Window might be a normal kitchen window to others, but it is special because it is where she and her grandparents can spend extra time together. This is the story of a little girl and her adventures at her grandparents’ house. Genre: Modern Realistic Fiction Caldecott Medal Winner 2006 Publisher: Michael di Capua Books/Hyperion Books for Children
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