The Leaving Morning

Moving day through the eyes of a child. It showed how bittersweet the experience of moving can be. While excited about whats to come its hard to leave what is familiar. This would be a great book to read to children in a class. Most kids can probably relate to this experience. The story doesn't have much text but Angela Johnson stories never fail to evoke emotion. I like that the illustrator chose to show the whole family together on the last two pages. It made me feel like even though moving can be scary, as long as you have your family, home can be anywhere.

This book is about change. I liked this book because it took the perspective of a child and it was sort of like a narrative. The child's whole family was moving and leaving behind the place the grew up in and all of their friends. It talks about how they were saying good-bye to the grocer and their neighbors that they will miss greatly. I think this book shows readers how some times may be hard and change may be harder, but life is about new experiences. In one part of the book, they were saying bye to their cousins and you could see the sadness from the illustrations in everyone's faces. This made me like this story because, as a reader, you truly feel their pain and sadness and I think a lot of times, it is really difficult to do that show more in a children's book. show less

I thought that this was a pretty good book for three reasons. First, I liked the point of view. Even though this book was written in first person point of view, it used "we" pronouns instead of "I" pronouns. This is not very common in books and it was unique to something different from the norm. For example, the author says "we pressed our faces against the hall window..." Second, I liked the illustration style of the book. Each picture had sort of a darker tone to it. This helps the reader get in the mindset that it is a sad day for the main characters. The drawings are not super sharp. They are a bit fuzzy which helps the reader think that it is kind of a blurry day and one that the characters may not want to remember. Finally, I show more liked how the author picked a theme that can apply to children. At some point in their lives, a child is going to have to move. This book helps children who may be having a difficult time with that transition. It lets them know that it is okay to be sad, but in the end, everything will work out for the best. The main idea of this story is that everything will work out in the end, even if it might feel sad at first. show less

In my opinion this is a good book because it pushes readers to think about tough issues and the illustrations enhance the story by expressing emotion. The two children in the story that are moving apartments unwillingly, are very upset to leave. The illustrations depict their emotion of reluctance and longing to stay in their current apartment, thus enhancing the story. This book discusses the tough issue of leaving their home and has a theme that relates to many, especially for readers that have moved or are in the process of moving. The big message I got from the story is that no matter what changes you go through in your life, you will always have your family to confide in.

In my opinion, this was a good book. The language used was very simple and easy to understand. It is an easy read book and it would be great for any students that are just beginning to read. The author chose a variety of descriptive words and simple words. The story was made more clear by the illustrations provided on each page. The illustrations provided the most detail out of any of the books I have reviewed. One thing I really enjoyed about this book was that the story was told from the point of view of the little boy that was moving. I liked this because this is something your students may be able to relate to if they've ever moved or have had a sudden change of events in their lives. The overall message from the story is that show more although change sometimes happens, you will still persevere and adapt to your new surroundings. show less

Obstacles to moving are shown through this book and make me nostalgic toward moving memories. As a small child, I was always moving houses and the packing boxes were a familiar scene for me through Katrina and life's obstacles. Missing family and friends was therefore very empathetic for me, they were shown as sad through the illustrations when saying goodbye to their cousins. Although heartbroken at the futures change in their environment they were excited to see the new house and life for them. I remember although leaving school and neighborhood friends was hard, I was always very excited to see my new house. The family bonding and the closeness through moving were seen in this book and were specific in my memories of moving. My mom show more and I packed items together when moving houses. show less

This book gives the scenario of a family moving from one apartment to another. The two children in the story are very upset by the move, and they say that they will miss their friends and relatives. This book has a relatable theme, especially for children that have moved in the past. The story also shows leaving little marks, or "souvenirs" behind. The children want everyone to know they were there.