Poetry Review #2-WHAT IS GOODBYE?

What is goodbye? By Nikki Grimes, Illustrations by Raul Colon

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Grimes, Nikki. What is goodbye? Illustrations by Raúl Colón. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2004.

ISBN 978-0-786-80778-9

2.     PLOT SUMMARY

What is goodbye? is a book of poetry that tells the story of how a brother and sister deal with the death of their older brother dying. Each poem is told from their different perspectives and how they are dealing with this terrible loss in their lives. After going through the different stages of grief they learn that life goes on and they are on their way to being whole again as a family.

3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Grimes clearly tells the story of a brother and sister’s year long journey of grief and healing over their brother’s death expressed in easy to read and understand poems. The brother’s poems are short, simple, and usually rhyme. The sister’s poems are written mostly in free verse and are similar to entries in a journal. Colón's colorful illustrations accompanying some of the poems provide reinforcement to the impact of the words relayed in the poems. His final illustration depicts a smiling family that has healed and moved on with their lives. The words in the final poem, “Photograph – Poem for Two Voices”, express the joy of the children that the family has healed and become one again. Both siblings’ poems are about taking a new family picture and the last word is “Smile!”

4.  REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

School Library Journal Best Books – 2004

ALA Notable Children’s Books, Middle Readers Category – 2005

From School Library Journal: “Grimes handles these two voices fluently and lucidly, shaping her characters through her form. Colón's paintings in muted colors combine imagism with realism to create an emotional dreamscape on nearly every page.”

From Publisher’s Weekly: “Insightfully and concisely, Grimes (Bronx Masquerade ) traces the stages of grief and healing, through the 26 paired poems of two siblings mourning their older brother, Jaron.”

5. CONNECTIONS

Gather read-alike- books to read such as:

Myers, Walter Dean, Harlem, ISBN: 978-0-590-54340-8

Lewis, J. Patrick, When Thunder Comes: Poems for Civil Rights Leaders, ISBN: 978-1-452-10119-4

Gather other award winning Nikki Grimes books to read such as:

Bronx Masquerade, ISBN:  978-0-803-72569-0

Jazmin’s Notebook, ISBN:  978-0-141-30702-2

Read about the stages of grief. Pick one poem from the book which you believe best shows that stage and write about why.

Choose one of Raul Colón's illustrations from the book. Make a list of all the objects, actions, and colors in the picture. Write about why he used those things to tell us about the poem.