Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature)
A young girl takes us to her Nanna and Poppy’s house to see a very special window. Most of the time her Nanna and Poppy are there in the kitchen so she can tap on the window, then hide, or they can wave at her when she arrives. We share her joy in the fun she has with Poppy’s harmonica playing, watching reflections in the window at supper, saying goodnight to the stars with Nanna, looking through the window at the garden, playing outside. Sometimes through the window she sees people; sometimes her imagination fills it with other more amazing sights. Saying goodbye through the window when Mommy and Daddy pick her up is sad, but she looks forward to having her own “Hello, Goodbye Window” some day. Raschka turns the pages into scenes of innocent joy. His paints barely suggest objects as he applies intuitive areas of color, he then uses black lines here and there to define a face, a bicycle, a spouting hose. The personalities of the grandparents and their loving interactions with the narrator make this an engaging tale, while the artist’s imagination forms something special from a bit of childhood. 2005, Michael Di Capua Books/Hyperion Books for Children, $15.95. Ages 3 to 6.

Joan Kindig, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
A small child brings us along on a visit to Nanna and Poppy’s house that begins with the wonder of the hello, goodbye window. Imagine a window where you can see Nanna and Poppy before they even see you! Everything about their house is intriguing to our narrator and her view of the world is at the heart of this tale. It is so deliciously typical of a three-year old to offer a line such as this: "When I get tired I come in and take my nap and nothing happens until I get up." The story ends with our heroine waving goodbye to her grandparents through the window. Just as the window is for hellos and goodbyes, her feelings run the gamut, too, from happy to sad. Raschka’s illustrations are busy just as the child is and his depiction of the characters as bi-racial is so welcome. What a lovely message embedded in this child-visits-grandparents romp! (reviewed from galley) 2005, Hyperion, $15.95. Ages 4 to 7.

Susie Wilde (Children's Literature)
Norton Juster, a “just warming up” grandfather, writes this small story praising the everyday magic that happens when a grandchild spends time with doting grandparents. The story’s focus is the kitchen window, a window on the world, showing happenings outside in the garden and mirroring the joys that take place in the cozy kitchen. There is little more than that to this slice of life story. Illustrations by Chris Raschka, the true recipient of the Caldecott, are filled with sunny yellows and tranquil blues that represent the happy, calm home. Raschka’s looseness of line well-represents the freewheeling fun of the relationship. Illustration and story work well to convey mood and affection, but though warm, this is far from a classic picture book children will read again and again. 2005, Hyperion, $15.95. Ages 4 to 7.

CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices, 2006)
At Nanna and Poppy’s house, the Hello, Goodbye Window “looks like a regular window, but it’s not.” Through the course of an idyllic overnight visit with her grandparents, a young girl outlines the many uses of this special window. She can watch through it for the Pizza Delivery Guy, see her own reflection in the glass after dark, or even use it as inspiration for imagining a visit from someone—or something—unexpected (the Queen of England, or perhaps a Tyrannosaurus Rex). For readers, the window offers a view of a well-loved child’s routines with her caring grandparents, all firmly grounded in her perspective (“When I get tired I come in and take my nap and nothing happens until I get up.”). From the time she arrives until her parents pick her up the next day, this child engages in everyday activities—coloring pictures, eating meals, and helping in the garden—always under the watchful care of her attentive grandparents. Chris Raschka’s bold and vibrant illustrations are especially effective from a distance, making this story about a multigenerational, biracial family a perfect choice for a group read-aloud. Highly Commended, 2006 Charlotte Zolotow Award CCBC Category: Picture Books for Toddlers and Preschoolers. 2005, Michael di Capua Books / Hyperion, 32 pages, $15.95. Ages 3-7.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2005 (Vol. 73, No. 5))
On the title page, a little girl springs away from her parents; turn the page, and the reader sees only her arms on the gate, the reader taking her perspective as she looks over to the white clapboard house where her Nanna and Poppy's faces stare equally eagerly out of the Hello, Goodbye Window. The exuberant tot proceeds to spend a thoroughly idyllic overnight with her loving grandparents, the stay punctuated by a harmonica serenade, a bike ride ("Not in the street, please") and a nap. Juster adopts the voice of the child, whose present-tense narration is just right, describing pleasures (saying good night to the stars) and perils (the tiger at the back of the garden) with a steady, sweet candor. Raschka's mixed-media illustrations are characteristically loose and energetic, depicting this happy, biracial family with jewel tones and extravagant swirls. 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. 2005, Hyperion, 32p, $15.95. Category: Picture book. Ages 3 to 7. Starred Review. © 2005 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Pam WattsFlavin (Library Media Connection, August/September 2005)
A small child narrates a mini-vacation at Nanna and Poppy's big house in the middle of town. Chris Raschka's jubilant line and watercolor illustrations are the reflection of the child's joy in visiting his grandparents and the glow that he (or she) provides for their lives. For point of reference, the "Hello-Goodbye window" is the large window in the kitchen where a young grandchild can either look in to see Nanna and Poppy or look out to wave good-bye, but its forced focal point for the story is a bit stretched and the idea gets buried in all the other action within the pages. This title could be used for read-aloud on Grandparents Day. Additional Selection. 2005, Hyperion Books for Children/Disney Publishing Worldwide, 32pp., $15.95 hc.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2005)
In Juster's paean to loving grandparents, the young narrator relates the comforting routines she shares with her grandparents when she visits. The familial love that is Juster's subtext finds overt expression, spectacularly, in Raschka's lush mixed-media illustrations set off perfectly by white space. A varied layout, balancing exterior and interior landscapes with smaller character vignettes, helps sustain the book's energy. Category: Preschool. 2005, Hyperion/di Capua, 32pp, 15.95. Ages 2 to 5. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.