Goodbye, Friend! Hello, Friend!
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
From the creator of The Rabbit Listened comes a gentle story about the difficulty of change . . . and the wonder that new beginnings can bring.
Change and transitions are hard, but Goodbye, Friend! Hello, Friend! demonstrates how, when one experience ends, it opens the door for another to begin. It follows two best friends as they say goodbye to snowmen, and hello to stomping in puddles. They say goodbye to long walks, butterflies, and the sun...and hello to long evening talks, fireflies, and the stars. But the hardest goodbye of all comes when one of the friends has to move away. Feeling alone isn't easy, and sometimes new beginnings take time. But even the hardest days come to an end, and you never know what tomorrow will bring.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Transitions can be tough, but Doerrfeld (The Rabbit Listened) counsels readers to remember that the end of one pleasant experience is often the doorway into another. The star of her story, a brown-skinned girl with black hair and rosy cheeks, says a tearful "Bye, Mom" before boarding the school bus: "Every goodbye," Doerrfeld begins, "leads to a hello." A page turn shows the girl meeting a new friend at school: "Hi, I'm Charlie," a plaid-jacketed child with white skin and pink glasses announces. Bold, crayonlike outlines render homey details (animal name tags on school cubbies, whipped cream on hot chocolate, and an extravagant blanket fort) as the friends share experiences. The text develops the theme throughout, as when the seasons change and when the household goldfish dies ("Goodbye to an empty bowl... is hello to a full heart"). And when farewells are truly difficult Charlie's house is shown sold and belongings are packed up "Goodbye to holding tight... is hello to letting go." Doerrfeld's compassionate take on loss makes a good case that farewells are the start of something even better. Ages 4 8.
