The Hello, Goodbye Window

by Norton Juster (Author) Chris Raschka (Illustrator)

The Hello, Goodbye Window
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

A Caldecott Medal Winner ​

From the acclaimed author of the classic book The Phantom Tollbooth comes a love song to that special relationship between grandparents and grandchild, illustrated by a multi-Caldecott recipient--now available in paperback.

The kitchen window at Nanna and Poppy's house is, for one little girl, a magic gateway. Everything important happens near it, through it, or beyond it. The world for this little girl will soon grow larger and more complex, but never more enchanting or deeply felt. Her story is both a voyage of discovery and a celebration of the commonplace wonders that define childhood, expressed as a joyful fusion of text with evocative and exuberant art that garnered the highest honor in children's book illustration in 2006.

Select format:
Paperback
$8.99

Find books about:

School Library Journal

Starred Review

The window in Nanna and Poppy's kitchen is no ordinary window-it is the place where love and magic happens. It's where the girl and her doting grandparents watch stars, play games, and, most importantly, say hello and goodbye. The first-person text is both simple and sophisticated, conjuring a perfectly child-centered world. Sentences such as "When I get tired I come in and take my nap and nothing happens until I get up" typify the girl's happy, imaginative world. While the language is bouncy and fun, it is the visual interpretation of this sweet story that sings. Using a bright rainbow palette of saturated color, Raschka's impressionistic, mixed-media illustrations portray a loving, mixed-race family. The artwork is at once lively and energetic, without crowding the story or the words on the page; the simple lines and squiggles of color suggest a child's own drawings, but this is the art of a masterful hand. Perfect for lap-sharing, this book will find favor with children and adults alike.

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

ALA/Booklist

Raschka's swirling lines, swaths, and dabs of fruity colors seem especially vibrant, particularly in the double-page spreads, which have ample room to capture both the tender moments between members of the interracial family and the exuberance of spending time in the pulsating outdoors, all flowers, grass, and sky.

Kirkus

Starred Review

As the little girl unwinds at the end of the stay, she imagines the many possible visitors who might come to the Hello, Goodbye Window-but no one is more happily welcomed than her parents, who pick her up after her picture-perfect day. 

Review quotes



Norton Juster
Norton Juster was the author of a number of children's books, including the contemporary classic The Phantom Tollbooth, illustrated by Jules Feiffer, as well as the sequel to The Hello, Goodbye Window and also illustrated by Chris Raschka, Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie. Formerly an architect by trade, he lived in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Chris Raschka is the Caldecott Award-winning illustrator of The Hello, Goodbye Window and A Ball for Daisy. He also received a Caldecott Honor for Yo! Yes? and has written and illustrated numerous books for children, including several titles by bell hooks: Happy to Be Nappy, Skin Again, and Be Boy Buzz. A 2012 nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award, he lives in New York City.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780316550079
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date
April 09, 2024
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV013030 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational
JUV051000 - Juvenile Fiction | Imagination & Play
JUV014000 - Juvenile Fiction | Girls & Women
Library of Congress categories
Picture books
Grandparents
Grandparent and child
Windows
A Caldecott Medal Winner
Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards - Honor Book
Parents Choice Award (Fall) (1998-2007) - Winner
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award - Nominee
Red Clover Award - Nominee

Subscribe to our delicious e-newsletter!