Bad Bye, Good Bye by Deborah Underwood (review)

The spare rhyming text of this thoughtful picture book showcases the gamut of emotions experienced by a young child in the midst of a cross-country move. Anger and tears accompany the early lines (“Bad day/Bad box/Bad mop/Bad blocks/Bad truck/Bad guy/Bad wave/Bad bye”); as the family ventures out onto the open road, some whimsical road trip details soften the anger (who doesn’t love a roadside restaurant named “Dinah’s Dina”?), and the discovery of a similarly aged boy living next door at the new house (and fireflies!) serves to turn the tide. Underwood (author of The Quiet Book, BCCB 5/10) is careful with her word selection; with only a handful sprinkled on each page, each carries considerable emotional weight. There is a definite forward momentum to the pacing that matches the topical trip as well as the movement of the boy’s emotions, from angry to neutral to content. The illustrations (ink and colored pencil with crisp layering suggesting digital assembly) resonate with the same sense of progression, with the early spreads perfectly matching the child’s inner raincloud while the later illustrations offer a glimmer of possibility. Layered washes, shadowy effects, and photographic blurs create an atmospheric chiaroscuro and metaphorically convey the passage of car and time; scratchy line details and pencil layers add texture. Many compositions have a child’s-eye perspective, with portions of the top cut off as if seen from the point of view of someone small, and the palette achieves a careful balance between vivid and muted, depending on the mood of the moment. This is a lovely portrayal of a child experiencing change as well as a graceful example of spare storytelling.