Book Review: The Hello, Goodbye Window

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Juster, Norton. 2005. THE HELLO, GOODBYE WINDOW. Ill. by Chris Raschka. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 0786809140

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In this very simple story, a little girl describes a visit to her grandparents' house from her point of view, which is focused on the kitchen window. The little girl begins by talking about the way she likes to approach the home by stopping by the kitchen window to look in and make faces with her grandparents. During her stay, life for the trio revolves around the kitchen and they enjoy looking through the window out into the garden, and they enjoy the day doing ordinary things like eating breakfast and playing in the yard. At night, they look out of the kitchen to view the stars. The next day, the little girl's parents come to pick her up and the window becomes a place to share goodbyes.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
There is no suspense in this story, no problem, no resolution, no rising or falling action. The charm of this book is due entirely to the fact that we are being told a story from the point of view of a child. She has such a pure innocence that she is impressed by her grandfather's corny jokes and single song that he can play on the harmonica. She also really believes her grandparents when she is told that absolutely nothing will happen during her nap. Viewing this home through a child's perspective is very refreshing.

Chris Raschka's illustrations do a beautiful job of echoing the child-like point of view of Norton Juster's story. The water color and oil pastel pictures are playful and bright. They do a great job of conveying the emotion of the scenes.

4. REVIEW EXCEPTS
Caldecott Medal
Starred Review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL "Perfect for lap-sharing, this book will find favor with children and adults alike"
Starred Review in BOOKLIST "speaks to the real lives of children and their experiences"

5. CONNECTION
* Norton Juster also wrote the beloved young adult book THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH