Ida, Always
Gus and Ida continue ordinary zoo routines after Ida becomes ill; anger, care, death and remembered sounds unfold within the same shared place instead of being separated into a lesson.
Ida, Always by Caron Levis is estimated to take about 9 minutes to read aloud (801 words, 2 sentences a spread). Best for ages 4-6.
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- Estimated read-aloud time
- about 9 minutesEstimated read-aloud time
- Words
- 801Word count
- Sentences per spread
- 2Text density
- Re-read tolerance
- 3/5holds up
- Vocabulary level
- 3/5a few new words
- Best for
- Ages 4-6Age range
Our review
The polar bears' city sounds and daily companionship make the loss specific before illness arrives. Gus is allowed to be angry and to remain beside Ida, and after her death the familiar soundscape becomes a route to memory rather than proof that grief has ended.
The Goodbye Book addresses absence through a minimally specified animal and names many possible reactions. Ida, Always is more concrete and relational, suited to a child who can stay with a terminal-illness arc. Its tenderness should not obscure the need to say plainly that Ida dies and will not return.
Before you buy it
Ida dies on the page and the quiet pacing can be emotionally intense. The Goodbye Book uses a more abstract animal narrator and simpler language for a first conversation.
Themes
- death
- friendship
- bears
- grief
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