Goodbye, Friend! Hello, Friend! by Cori Doerrfeld

Cori Doerrfeld's previous emotional book, The Rabbit Listened was a perfect story for helping young children handle grief and other strong emotions, as well as learning how to help others who are going through difficult experiences. In her next book, she introduces the concept of saying goodbye, whether it be to a friend, family member, or just the natural rhythms of day and night.

"Every goodbye... leads to a hello" begins the book, and the brown-skinned, dark-haired child goes about learning this truth. It begins when Stella says goodbye to her mom and then meets Charlie (blond hair and gender-neutral clothing) at school. When she has to say goodbye to playing outside and go in, she and Charlie say hello to camping under a blanket. When the snow melts they say hello to puddles, when a sunny day ends they say hello to the night. Stella says goodbye to her fish and "hello to a full heart" as Charlie helps her remember how much she loved Gill. All these hellos and goodbyes prepare Stella to say goodbye to Charlie when they move away. But it's not the end; saying "goodbye to today... is hello to tomorrow" and as Stella mails a letter to Charlie she notices a new family moving in and this time it's her turn to say "hello" to a new friend.

Doerrfeld's sweet art and warm text shows a gentle understanding of the everyday joys and sorrows of a child and offers a gentle hope for the future when a child has to say goodbye, whether it be a friend moving away or having to stop playing.

Verdict: Like The Rabbit Listened, this book is perfect for helping kids handle transitions and separations from the mundane to the more painful like divorce or death. A must-have for library and school collections.

ISBN: 9780525554233; Published July 2019 by Dial Books for young readers; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library