Realistic Fiction: The Hello, Goodbye Window

Title: The Hello, Goodbye Window 

Author: Norton Juster 
Illustrator: Chris Raschka 

Genre: Realistic Fiction    

Major Awards: Caldecott Medal (2006), Charlotte Zolotow Award Nominee for Highly Commended Title (2006), Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Nominee for Picture Book - Honor Book (2005)

Age Group: 4-7 years old

Sometimes a window can be more than a window and that is exactly the case in Norton Juster's The Hello, Goodbye Window. The Hello, Goodbye Window is located in the kitchen of the protagonist grandparents house, and every-time she goes to see them she always passes by this special window. The kitchen is where her grandparents spend most of their time, so every-time she passes by the window she'll climb on the flower barrel and tap on the widow and hide, press her face on the glass to scare them, or her grandparents will make silly faces and play peek-a-boo with her. At night the window turns into a mirror and her and her Poppy can see their reflection, and it looks like their outside. Right before bedtime she and her Nanna turn off all the lights and say goodnight to the stars through the window. In the morning when they wake up the first thing they do is go to the window and say hello to the garden and check what the weather looks like for the day. Sometimes she'll just sit by the window and wait to see who might come, her Nanna says its a magic window and to expect anyone. She imagines a T-Rex, the Pizza Delivery Guy, and The Queen of England could come over and she would be the very first person to see them if they did through the Hello, Goodbye Window. When its time to go home they always stop to blow kisses at the window, and one day when she grows up she wants  a house with a Hello, Goodbye Window too.

The Hello,Goodbye Window is a beautiful story that would make a wonderful edition to all PreK- 2nd grade classroom library. The book is fun and tells the story of not only a special window, but also a bond between a granddaughter and her grandparents. I think this book would be such an excellent book to do a read aloud too in class during or around grandparents day. During the discussion the students could discuss what are some fun activities they do with their grandparents, or they can use their imaginations and share who are some people they would want to see through their Hello, Goodbye Window.