Published by Dial Books

Summary:  Every cloud has a silver lining in this book that traces a friendship between two girls, Stella and Charlie.  Stella says a teary goodbye to her mom as she gets on the school bus, but the goodbye leads to a hello from new friend Charlie at school.  Goodbye to snowmen means hello to puddles; goodbye to the sun means hello to the stars. The final goodbye, as Charlie moves away, seems insurmountable (“goodbye to holding tight is hello to letting go”), but by the last page a new girl has moved in, and Stella is saying “hello” just like Charlie did to her.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This would be a great book for anyone going through a transition, whether it’s starting a new school, moving, or even losing a pet (“goodbye to an empty [fish]bowl is hello to a full heart”).  Kids could enjoy brainstorming hellos and goodbyes.

Cons:  A few of the transitions, like the dead fish example above, seemed a little contrived.  Sometimes it’s okay to just be sad and not have to find that silver lining, at least not right away.

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