African American Poet: What is Goodbye?

Bibliography:

Grimes, Nikki. 2004. WHAT IS GOODBYE? Illustrated by Raul Colon. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN: 0786807784

Review:

Nikki Grimes tells the sad story of loss and the journey of learning to live again in the book of poetry, What is Goodbye. When Jerilyn and Jesse’s older brother, Jaron, suddenly dies life is never the same. Through alternating voices, Jesse and Jerilyn share their feelings of grief. The yearlong story is a journey to make sense of the devastating event and evolution of a “new” family. Each sibling deals with Jaron’s death differently. Jesse through anger and getting into fights and Jerilyn by trying to stay strong, pushing back her tears and yearning for once was. Jesse’s poems are concrete and filled with grief. It is easy to understand that Jesse is the youngest in the family. Jerilyn’s poems are free verse and filled with metaphor. Throughout the story, her grief is palpable. Both children pass through the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance in their own unique ways. Raul Colon’s surrealist illustrations depict the raw emotions presented in the poems. Ms. Grimes includes an author’s note that helps young readers to understand that there is “no right or wrong way to feel when someone close to you dies.”

Poem Selection:

The poem that I have selected to highlight is the last poem in the book. It is titled “Photograph: Poem for Two Voices”. I have chosen to highlight this particular poem because of the hope that it brings to those who have lost a loved one: that life can be good again. Although I am not sure I would share this with a whole group of children, this would be a great book to share with individuals dealing with death. To introduce the book or suggest it to a student, I would share the author’s note at the end of the book. Here is Jesse's part of the poem:

It's time/for a new photograph. Say "cheese." Hold that pose! Wait til you see it/Mom and Dad/ a new kind of family./One piece/we're whole again./Whole again./ Smile!