For children there's always something exciting about visiting grandparents. Maybe it's the special food they make to eat, or the drawers full of coloring books. Maybe it's the novelty of staying the night at a different house, or the fun activities and games. For one little girl it's all of these things, but what fascinates her most of all is that magical Hello, Goodbye Window in front of her grandparent's house.
In between eating oatmeal with bananas, helping Nanna in the garden, and listening to Poppy play the harmonica (but he only knows one song) the little girl looks out of the Hello, Goodbye Window. Maybe she'll see a T-Rex. Maybe she'll see stars, or the pizza delivery guy. One thing she knows for sure is that when it's time to leave she'll always see her Nanna and Poppy waving and blowing kisses through the Hello, Goodbye Window.
At first glance Chris Raschka's illustrations look very childish, and that's the point. Norton Juster's story is told from the perspective of the little girl, and her world is (obviously) child-centric. But Raschka's illustrations really are incredibly detailed. He uses lines and blocks of color to give subtle hints of shape and movement, and the result is rich and mesmerizing, if sometimes two-dimensional. The childlike art style may not appeal to everyone, but it cheerfully complement's the story's sweet, simplistic look at the magical times grandchildren and grandparents spend together.
 |
Review by Lauren Shearer
Lauren Shearer writes words for fun and profit. She also makes films, but everyone knows you can't make a profit doing that. Her other hobby is consistently volunteering way too much of her time. You can read more of her reviews here.
|
Review by Lauren Shearer
Lauren Shearer writes words for fun and profit. She also makes films, but everyone knows you can't make a profit doing that. Her other hobby is consistently volunteering way too much of her time. You can read more of her reviews
here.
Did you find this review helpful?