The Goodbye Book
A small animal experiences a friend's absence through sadness, anger, changed routines and gradual re-engagement, while the cause remains broad enough to fit several kinds of loss.
The Goodbye Book by Todd Parr is estimated to take about 3.5 minutes to read aloud (186 words, 1 sentence a spread). Best for ages 2-5.
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- Estimated read-aloud time
- about 3.5 minutesEstimated read-aloud time
- Words
- 186Word count
- Sentences per spread
- 1Text density
- Re-read tolerance
- 4/5repeat friendly
- Vocabulary level
- 1/5plain words
- Best for
- Ages 2-5Age range
Our review
The spare pictures keep attention on what absence does to the survivor: ordinary activities feel wrong, other relationships continue, and emotions do not arrive in a tidy order. Because the friend and cause are not heavily explained, a child can connect the sequence to different goodbyes.
Ida, Always follows two polar bears through terminal illness and death, offering a clearer narrative for bereavement. The Goodbye Book is shorter and more flexible but cannot answer factual questions by itself. Adults should supply the real words for the family's situation rather than rely on ambiguity as protection.
Before you buy it
Its ambiguity can help or frustrate; children dealing with death may need adults to name death directly. Ida, Always provides a specific illness, death and continuing-bond story.
Themes
- grief
- feelings
- fish
- comfort
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