Thursday, November 10, 2011

Book Review: Lily Hates Goodbyes by Jerilyn Marler


By: Jerilyn Marler
Illustrated by: Nathan Stoltenberg
Published by: self pub
Released on: March 8th, 2011
Ages: for any child who's parent is in the armed serves
Source: book from author to review
5 stars: It's a Touching Read
Purchase from: Amazon

Sometimes Lily has to say goodbye to her Daddy for about a billion days. She feels a swirl of unhappy emotions that can be scary. And she aches to feel connected to her Daddy during his long deployments. Join Lily as she learns how to cope with her emotions and to be happy in her daily life while she looks forward to joyfully saying hello when Daddy gets home. "Lily Hates Goodbyes" is helpful for any child who suffers separations from a loved one. The charming illustrations will draw your child's interest immediately. Children appreciate the affirmation that scary emotions are normal and that they don't last forever. Parents appreciate the opportunity talk with their children about the scary emotions in a safe, non-volatile way. - quoted from Goodreads

A personal story for the authors grand-daughter, this is a touching story about a little girl who hates to say goodbye to her father, who's in the Navy and currently deployed away from home. Lily's story is a touching one, as Jerilyn allows us to connect with Lily on an emotional level as she goes through the daily routines of not having her father there. From looking at the moon at night to writing him letters, Lily is anxiously counting down the days when she will see her father again.

This is a great story for children who have a parent or parents currently serving our country and are away from home. Through Lily they will be able to identify with similar feelings of worry, fear, sadness, being upset, happiness and the joy when their parent/parents arrive home. The vivid illustrations do a great job at portraying all Lily is feeling and experiencing. Lily's story is one I highly recommend picking up. To learn more about Lily's story, please visit Lily Hates Goodbye .
I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ~ Anna Quindlen

Good children's literature appeals not only to
the child in the adult, but to the adult in the child.
~ Anonymous ~