Hello+Goodbye+Window


 * Price: $15.95**
 * Reading level: Pre-K-3**
 * Pages: 32 pages**
 * Language: English**
 * ISBN: 978-0-7868-0914-1**
 * Author: Norton Juster**
 * Illustrator: Chris Raschka**

__//**Summary:**//__

The author, Norton Juster creates a portrait of a grandchild and her grandparents. The book is illustrated by Chris Raschka. The granddaughter is a curly haired girl who has a lot of energy and loves to dance. The pictures describe her as playful and always excited to see her Nanna and Poppy. The window in their kitchen is the perfect window for the “hello’s” and “goodbye’s”. She loved being in the kitchen that was filled with plants. She would draw in the kitchen and listen to her poppy play “Oh, Susannah” on the harmonica. At night time this same “Hello, Goodbye Window” acts as a mirror. She likes to joke about being outside looking in, as Poppy would joke back and say “come inside and have your dinner”. This window is magic for the granddaughter, Nanna, and Poppy; where everything important happens. She uses this mirror to say hello to the garden, to view the stars at night, as a mirror, and to say hello and goodbye to Nanna and Papa.

__//**Review:**//__

This Caldecott award winning book did a great job of synthesizing the loving relationship that a young child can have with their own grandparents. Poppy shows a joking side, while Nanna shows a warm side. She seems very close to both of them by the joy that shows in the illustrations. I really liked the colors in this story and the vibrant pictures and faces of joy. The fact that Poppy is white and Nanna is black is a great way to include diversity in the story.The pictures alone showed how the world for this little girl, will only grow bigger and more complex, but not any more enchanting or deeply felt. This window shows the getaway for this little girl; filled with magic, joy, warmth, and laughter.

__//**Analysis of literary Elements:**//__

The literary element that stood out to me was the illustrations. The drawings by Chris Raschka were childlike scribbles that gave the story a more childlike appeal. The colors were very bright, and tell a story of what was happening in the windows at that time. He really did a great job of showing the world through a child’s eye. Also, within the illustrations it is shown that there is an interracial relationship between Nanna and Poppy, which I think is very important. He clearly showed day/ night through the pictures and also represented how the granddaughter saw the window as a mirror during the night because she and her Nanna were reflecting.

__//**About the author:**//__

Norton Juster was born in Brooklyn, New York and now lives in Massachusetts. He was born on June 2, 1929 just before the Great Depression. He studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. He was also in the US Navy for three years. He is married, and has a daughter and a granddaughter. He actually began writing his first book in the navy, “The Phantom Tooth” which was published in 1961. Other books he wrote include: “The Dot and the Line”, “Alberic the Wise”, “Otter Nonsense”, “A Surfeit of Similies”, and “The Hello Goodbye Window” with sequel “Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie”.