WHAT IS GOODBYE?

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Grimes, Nikki. 2004. WHAT IS GOODBYE? Ill. by Raul Colon. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 078680778

PLOT SUMMARY

This beautiful book of poetry shows how a brother and sister cope with the loss of their older brother. Each sibling’s poems illustrate how everyone deals with grief differently and how everyone heals in their own time. Eventually the family comes to terms with the loss and moves on –a new family portrait is taken with “one piece missing, yet whole again.”

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The alternating poems by siblings Jesse and Jerilyn show how each of them are handling the loss of their brother in very different ways. Jerilyn’s poem “Getting the News” uses several similes to show how she felt when she heard the news of her brother’s death…”Daddy told me in a whisper sharp as a switchblade and just as sly.” In “Rush,” Jesse speaks of the how everyone is telling him it’s time to move on, that it has been long enough. Jesse says, “They’re telling me my heart is wrong for hurting past the date they set? Well, I’m not ready to move on yet.” Grimes often chooses rhymed couplets for Jesse's voice, and the singsong sounds and tight rhythm create a young tone that's indicative of Jesse's age. This book of poetry would be excellent for a grieving child. It really portrays the range of emotions that people encounter when coming to terms with the death of a loved one. This book teaches how people must handle things their own way and in their own time.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

BOOKLIST: “Moving and wise, these are poems that beautifully capture a family's heartache as well as the bewildering questions that death brings, and they reinforce the message in Grimes' warm author's note: "There's no right or wrong way to feel when someone close to you dies."

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: Colón's paintings in muted colors combine imagism with realism to create an emotional dreamscape on nearly every page. The clean design combined with the book's short, easy pace and small size give readers a comfortable place from which to listen to the characters as they make their way from "Getting the News" to "Anniversary," and finally to "Ordinary Days.

CONNECTIONS

Other books about coping with grief for children:

Vogel, Robin Helene. THE SNOWMAN. ISBN 1561230685

Romain, Trevor. WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU DO WHEN SOMEONE DIES? ISBN 1575420554

Picture credit: Barnes and Noble