"Goodbye, Friend! Hello, Friend!" by Cori Doerrfeld, Dial Books for Young Readers, 40 pages, $17.99, ages up to 3
"The Rabbit Listened," Cori Doerrfeld's 2018 critically acclaimed children's book, opened with a crash: A flock of birds knocked over Taylor's amazing block tower, destroying everything. From there, the book performed alchemy unique to only very few children's books: It taught children _ and their parents _ a lesson without ever making it feel like anything other than a great story. "The Rabbit Listened" was all about the importance of listening and being present, particularly when someone is grieving.
Doerrfeld tackles a different patch of emotional terrain in "Goodbye, Friend! Hello, Friend!" It opens with a worried Stella saying goodbye to her mom as the school bus pulls up to the curb. But as Doerrfeld writes, "Every goodbye leads to a hello," and Stella meets Charlie by their lockers on the next page. Charlie and Stella become best friends as the book moves through a series of endings and beginnings, illustrated in Doerrfeld's soft, chalky lines that simultaneously evoke empathy and playfulness. "Goodbye to snowmen is hello to puddles!"
It culminates with Charlie moving away to a new city. The book is recommended for kids up to 3 _ and its message may well resonate with toddlers who have trouble transitioning from one activity to the next _ but it feels far more universal. Consider these words without their pictures: "(S)ometimes, when you least expect it, a goodbye comes along that really feels like the end. Sometimes, goodbye is the last thing you want to say. Like when goodbye to holding tight is hello to letting go. But no matter what, goodbye to today is hello to tomorrow."
These are lessons we start learning around age 3; most of us spend our whole lives trying to master them.
