(for readers in grades preschool –2nd grade)
Beatrice Alemanga’s, Things That Go Away is a story that points to how all good and bad things eventually go away. As she explains things that fade or change, she uses short phrasing to express the impermanence of the things she lists. A few lines to showcase her story: “A small wound (almost) always vanishes / without leaving a trace” and “Leaves fall, as well as hair sometimes, and baby teeth.” These lines showcase Alemanga’s way of making a tangible connection to the world we live in and that as things change, there is resolution.
Not only did Alemanga author her book, but she also illustrated the book filling most pages with color and joyful quirkiness, but other of her pages are simple dots or outline drawings on transparent vellum. When she calls out hair loss there is a picture of two people, a man with no hair and a woman with lots of hair, and then on the next page the man now has a mustache and the woman only has a small amount of hair. They are both still seen smiling because they understand losing your hair can happen.
I chose this story because this is my last book review for the Greenline! After five years of writing the “BK Story Voyager Book Pics” it is time for me to bid you all adieu! It has been a pleasure sharing my favorite new book finds with the readers of the Greenline. It is not goodbye, but see you soon!
The Greenline 