Eleanor’s narration, in compact, informal ragged-right lines that build into brief chapters, is heartfelt, accessible, and energetic, depicting a lively urban existence filled with well-defined routine and a constellation of known associates, from best friends to letter carriers to hairdressers. Sternberg hits all the right notes here, capturing a sensitive kid’s first experience of loss with tender respectfulness and full acknowledgment that separation is a bereavement too. Grieving for Bibi, eight-year-old Eleanor resists her usual enjoyments, finding them all a painful reminder of her lost friend perhaps worse still, child care must go on, and her parents hire a new babysitter, Natalie. Poor Eleanor is having an August “as bad as the black parts on a banana” because her beloved Bibi, her babysitter ever since she can remember, has suddenly moved away from New York to take care of her ailing father. Kara Deanīulletin of the Center for Children’s Books: It tells a simple, poignant story that will resonate with any child who has ever had to say good-bye. The phrase “pickle juice on a cookie” is used at first to describe something tragic, and then something ridiculous, and fortunately, this title falls into neither category. Cordell’s winsome cartoon drawings complement the text without overcrowding the verse. Surrounded by adults who are sympathetic to her loss, Eleanor is allowed time to grieve while being gently encouraged to find joy in new experiences and friends. The story is told in straightforward, steady verse that echoes the gradual pace of Eleanor’s healing process.

How she grows to love a new babysitter, while still cherishing Bibi, forms the center of this understated early chapter book. First published Febru( Booklist).Įleanor Abigail Kane has just experienced an August as dreadful as the black parts on a banana: her beloved babysitter, Bibi, has moved away to Florida to care for her ill father, and Eleanor is bereft.

Like pickle juice on a cookie