Author: Norton Juster
Illustrator: Chris Raschka
Published By: Michael Di Capua Books 2005
# of Pages: 29
Winner of the 2006 Caldecott Medal
Juster, N., & Raschka, C. (2005) The Hello, Goodbye Window. New York: Michael di Capua Books
Theme: Grandparents and Grandchildren
Synopsis: For this little girl, the window in Nanna and Poppy's kitchen is a view into another magic world. This window is where everything special happens. She can peek in from the outside when she arrives at her grandparent's house, and she can even play peekaboo through the window. The window open's the girl's mind to allow her imagination to run free. Nanna and Poppy spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so the window is conveniently located. When the girl stays over at her Nanna and Poppy's house, her favorite thing to do is look out the window. At night, before bed, the last thing she does with her grandparents is look out the window. In the morning, the first thing she does with her grandparents is to look out the window. Through the window she can see all of her visions and dreams come to life. The window provides a special bonding experience between the young girl and her grandparents, they call it the hello, goodbye window. When the girl grows up, she hopes to have a special hello, goodbye window of her own. To see how this story ends, you have to read it!
This story progresses through a young girl's relationship with her grandparents. Author Norton Juster tells the story through the voice of the young girl. There is a simple plot to the story. It uses well written language that helps readers place their self in the story. There is not much dialogue in this book, however, there rare interactions between the young girl and her grandparents that bring life into the storyline.
What truly makes this an incredible picture book are the amazing illustrations. Chris Raschka uses a unique line pattern, hand drawn style, and materials such as crayons and water colors to give the images a unique style that is appealing to the eye. This book's illustrations won the 2006 Caldecott Medal for its amazing images. The art adds character to the story and elaborates the text. Although the pictures aren't exactly crisp, their incredible amount of detail adds a special feel to this book. The pictures draw readers into the story and make this book a must read for children of any age.
I would recommend this book as a read aloud or silent reading book for students in grades kindergarten through second grade. However, I feel that this book could be used in grades 3-5 as a fun short read aloud and incorporating other lessons.
Classroom Activities Could Include:
- Creating a window and using crayons and water color have students use their imagination to create an image that they would see throughout he window
- Do a writing project, about the student's relationship with their grandparents
- Have students tell their favorite memory with their grandparents
- Have students write about their favorite place in their house or their grandparent's house
- Have students create a window and a self portrait of their self peeking through the window
- Teach a mini lesson on grandparents and/or aging
- Have students draw and write about what they envision their self being like when they are a grandparent
Here's a video talking about this book's artwork!
