Goodbye House

This book is perfect for kids who are old enough to not want to move (even when you are moving to a better, bigger house). After reading it, our son went into each room of our house and said goodbye to all of them. It was so bittersweet. We talked about what we were going to miss about the house, and some things that had happened there (like his brother being born in the guest room!). We also took pictures of the house in each room, and front and back outside, to help keep memories of our time there alive for him. I believe this book helped him to feel just a wee bit in control. My son was two when we first read this book-- we were moving from the only home he had ever known-- and we bought it when we moved again a year and a half later. It's become part of our family's moving ritual!

This book lets you teach 43 vowel-spellings using 177 vocabulary words.

I absolutely agree with the reviews here, with one caveat. This is a great book, but it really only deserves Five Stars when it comes to a specific application: It is a book for children who are going to be moving. If you are not moving, it just is not as poignant... at least not to my kid's (3 and 5). Five Stars if you are going to be moving. Three Stars as a regular read.

When we planned our cross country move I purchased several children's books that dealt with the subject to read to my two children. This was our favorite. It is a heart warming story about saying goodbye to the house but not to the happy memories. We even walked around our empty house after the moving van had left to say goodbye just as the bear family does in Goodbye House. I am filled with happy memories of our old home every time I read it.