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Wild, Margaret

Goodbye, Old House

32 pp. | Blue Dot Kids | September, 2021 | Trade ISBN 978-1-7362264-5-2 $17.95
(2) K-3 Illustrated by Ann James. A child named Sam says a fond and very thorough goodbye to their house in the country ("This is the last time I'll fish in this river"; "This is the last time I'll swing on this gate"; "Goodbye, old house. Goodbye"), then reverses the process upon arrival at a new house in the city ("This is the first time I'll jump over these cracks"; "This is the first time I'll push open this gate"; "Hello, new house, hello"). The symmetry of Wild's text, with its mirror-imaged farewells and greetings, is effective and emotionally satisfying. Unlike most picture books about moving, this one has a distinctly upbeat vibe, thanks mainly to James's striking illustrations, "brush and ink drawings with acrylic gouache backgrounds combined digitally." Even as Sam says goodbye to beloved places and animals and activities and individual rooms of the old house, the mood conveyed in the illustrations is predominantly light and airy, with Sam's body language occasionally feeling almost Sendakian, à la A Hole Is to Dig. The child dances in doorways, smiles at a pony while giving a goodbye pat (and the pony appears to smile back), etc. With the protagonist portrayed in black-and-white against richly colored backgrounds, the viewer's eye always knows where to focus. Details are childlike and relatable. For instance, in the old bedroom we see poignant writing on the wall: "Sam lives/lived here." In the new house we see Sam taking ownership, happily sprawled across the "comfy window seat" of the new bedroom and writing, "Sam lives here now."
Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

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