PICTURE BOOK REVIEWS: Goodbye Friend! Hello, Friend!/Just For Me
ABOUT THE BOOK
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.
REVIEW
As with The Rabbit Listened, Cori Doerrfeld has written a sweet story that tugs at the heart strings. Here is the story of two friends meeting for the first time, learning to accept the goodbyes and hellos of life together, before having to say goodbye for good when one moves away. Somehow Doerrfeld manages to capture the bittersweet nature of life in this book. Saying goodbye to things we love isn't easy, and neither is facing new, uncertain beginnings but as this book so clearly shows, there is always hope for something new and wonderful to say hello to. In a world where it is so easy to focus on the negative and the losses, this book reminds us to grieve the losses yes, but to look forward with optimism and hope to the joys of the future. A delightful and powerful book that reminds us all, old and young of the power of friendship and the joys that can come when we open ourselves up to the possibilities of the future.
ABOUT THE BOOK
When Ruby has something special, she likes to say "just for me!"
That includes everything from her dolly to the colorful candy sprinkles she uses to decorate her cookies. But when a friend comes over for playtime, Ruby takes her mantra just one step too far, and a precious toy is broken. Just when it looks like playtime has been ruined, Ruby realizes that having a friend is much more fun than having everything to herself.
"Sharing is caring" has never felt so spot-on as it does in Just For Me. With sparse text and bright, bold illustrations, this is the perfect story for parents to share with their little readers--and for readers to share with their friends!
REVIEW
Learning to share can be difficult, especially for toddlers and preschoolers. This book shows through the actions of a young girl named Ruby how that can be so. Ruby loves to keep her beloved toys and favorite activities just for herself. But when her friend comes to play, she struggles to share the 'good' stuff with her friend. Disaster results when a toy is broken in the struggle and Ruby's dad reminds her that friends share with each other. The large text and illustrations are perfect for sharing with a group and the simplicity of the story makes it great for preschoolers. It's human nature to keep things to ourselves, we all have to learn to let go in order to create and maintain relationships. This book demonstrates that theme very nicely.
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