Bad Bye, Good Bye by Deborah Underwood

bad bye good bye

Bad Bye, Good Bye by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Jonathan Bean. HMH Books for Young Readers, 2014. 32 pages.

Reading Level: Picture Books, ages 0-8
Recommended for: All ages

Moving, even across the street, is always a major transition. When a family moves to a new city (or state), the transition is magnified. Young children have trouble giving voice to their emotions in normal circumstances, much less during the kind of tumultuous state in which a move plunges them. Underwood’s spare text in this deceptively simple book is given added depth by Bean’s fantastic illustrations. The two work together seamlessly to depict a young boy’s sadness at moving, his gradual acceptance of the move, and his final hope at meeting a new friend. Illustrations feature a unique color separation technique which shows the movers transparently in the background, busily doing their work, while the foreground shows the young boy and his dog fully experiencing each new emotional stage. Note especially the palette change as the book begins darkly and finishes up in the sunshine (this reaches even to the endpapers). A must-read for anyone in this transition, it is also an excellent tool to help young children know what a new friend might be going through (or has just experienced) and aid in teaching empathy. After all, we are commanded in Scripture to treat others the way we would like to be treated; it’s hard to know how that might look if we’ve never been in the same situation ourselves. Note that this book would also work well as an easy reader due to its repetitive, simple text.

Cautions: none

Overall Value: 4.75 (out of 5)

  • Moral/worldview value: 4.5
  • Artistic value: 5

Categories: Picture Books, Life Issues, Easy/Leveled Readers
Cover image from Amazon

Stay Up to Date!

Get the information you need to make wise choices about books for your children and teens.

Our weekly newsletter includes our latest reviews, related links from around the web, a featured book list, book trivia, and more. We never sell your information. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again.

Support our writers and help keep Redeemed Reader ad-free by joining the Redeemed Reader Fellowship.

Stay Up to Date!

Get the information you need to make wise choices about books for your children and teens.

Our weekly newsletter includes our latest reviews, related links from around the web, a featured book list, book trivia, and more. We never sell your information. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again.

FREE Bible Guide!

Get a guide to the Best Bibles for Children and Teens. Perfect for an Easter gift.

Betsy Farquhar

Betsy is the Managing Editor at Redeemed Reader. When she reads ahead for you, she uses sticky notes instead of book darts and willfully dog ears pages even in library books. Betsy is a fan of George MacDonald, robust book discussions, and the Oxford comma. She lives with her husband and their three children in the beautiful Southeast.

We'd love to hear from you!

Our comments are now limited to our members (both Silver and Golden Key). Members, you just need to log in with your normal log-in credentials!

Not a member yet? You can join the Silver Key ($2.99/month) for a free 2-week trial. Cancel at any time. Find out more about membership here.

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.