Goodbye to Goldie (Katie Woo) by Fran Manushkin
From the first sentence I knew what this book would be about. “Katie Woo’s dog, Goldie, was very old.”
Goldie passes away and the book encompasses Katie’s grieving process. At first she is very sad and needs her mother. Then she turns to her friends to remember the happy and silly moments of Goldie’s life. Finally, she decides to create a scrapbook of memories that celebrate Goldie’s long and happy life. At the end she kisses a photo of Goldie and promises not to forget her.
It is a simple & familiar story, but a very good treatment of pet death for a kindergarten to 2nd grader. The language is simple enough for beginning readers to read independently and it will be comforting for children who’ve lost a pet to see someone in their position. The book may also be a good starting point for children with older pets to begin thinking about pet loss. After the story is over, the book includes a section with discussion questions, writing prompts and a guide to making your own scrapbook. The Katie Woo series is positioned to be good for groups of kids to discuss. Adults running book discussions with beginning readers should check out Katie Woo. 32p., 2009.
Cybils nominee for Easy Readers/Short Chapter Books category.