Ira Says Goodbye

Ira

by Bernard Waber

Ira confronts several emotions when he learns his best friend Reggie is moving away.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Friendship, Kids, Fiction

38 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Bernard Waber was the youngest in a creative family. At age 8, he ushered in a movie theater after school, so he often saw only the last ten minutes of a movie. He made a game of inventing beginnings and middles. When he returned from a tour of duty in World War II, he entered the Philadelphia College of Art. With a diploma and a new wife, he traveled to New York City, where he began working for the Condé Nast magazines as an illustrator. Reading books to his three children inspired him to apply his pen and ink and watercolor style to his own picture books. His first book, Lorenzo, was built in 1961. Today, his characters are some of the most beloved in the library. He and his wife, Ethel, live on Long Island.

Reviews

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out as a reasonable johnny-come-lately sequel but then words - so many words - too many words. How many words can we possibly squeeze onto a page?!

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ira's best friend is moving away, and he's much too happy about it for Ira's liking. Until moving day arrives and Reggie breaks down crying. Much too wordy by modern picture book standards. Most of the time a child has a friend move away, it is much farther than an hour away and visiting isn't possible, especially not right away. Illustrations coincide with the text but don't extend it.

[Steve Holden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bernard Waber stretch in my picture book a day review stretch . . . Ira Sleeps Over ranks as one of my all-time favorite picture books. I loved it the first time I heard it, read it, and have read it to every class of mine in my own career. It's classified as my "forever book" at the beginning of the year; a timeless classic that all generations can connect to. This follow-up is good, and keeps the same characters and illustrative style, but doesn't quite hit home like the first. The idea of a sleepover, boyhood, growing up, and facing fears connects to all - the idea of moving and wrapping up a childhood home connects to a lot. It's good, and a great book to have - but not in the category of "classic book" and "must have" in terms of primary classrooms.

[Melissa Ganka-Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Ira Sleeps Over, Ira and Reggie meet and navigate the ups and downs of a first sleepover. In this one, they handle the ups and downs of what to do when your best friend moves away. Good story. Might help a kid who is dealing with a similar situation. Don't love these illustrations, but I don't really like any illustrations from this time period. It's also a little too wordy for a classroom read aloud, but probably OK for one-on-one reading.

[Tessa Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ira's bestfriend Reggie is moving away to Greendale, and Ira has mixed feelings about it. At first, both Ira and Reggie are both sad about the move and can't imagine what life will be like without each other. Slowly, Reggie begins to like the thought of moving away and it angers Ira. This is an excellent story about moving away and childhood struggles.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second of the Ira books by Bernard Waber. In this book, Ira's best friend Reggie has to move and Ira isn't quite sure how to feel about it, apart from sad. The book does a great job of showing how a child might feel and act when a friend moves away.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a rather long-winded story about a best friend neighbor moving away. It does include some very real emotions, stages of grief and coping mechanisms to deal with moving away so it may be a good one to keep in the repertoire for "moving" books for kids.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is difficult to read aloud because of the amount of dialogue described as "said." It got to the point of being annoying, and I was tempted to use it as an example of how not to write dialogue. Then the emotional aspect kicked in, the dialogue diminished, and it became a sweet story.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A realistic portrayal of a child might feel and act upon learning their best friend is moving away. Told in fast-paced, succinct language with a touching ending.
While I love how Waber draws crocodiles, I've always found his people to be unappealing.

[Jaden-Ciera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picture Book - Such a great book to navigate change in a child’s life. The emotions and actions that are portrayed fit perfectly with real life situations.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Believable characters wrestle with the common issues of loss and change in fresh and realistic ways; entertaining illustrations.

[Sam Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ira has to say goodbye to her best-friend Reggie when he moves away. A very heart warming book about friendship and sharing. Good book for bedtime.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reggie and Ira are best friends. But Ira is moving away. And is he really as happy about it as he seems?

[Haley · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book could have been written better.

[Stephanie Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another wonderful book from my childhood.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I vaguely remember reading this as a child and recognizing the "I'm going to be aloof and/or angry to hide my sadness" aspect of it.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reggie is going to move away and Ira, his best friend, is crushed. But Reggie won't stop blathering on about it -- will he even miss Ira?

[Anne with Violets · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tender look at the feelings of kids who part ways with their best friends.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an adorable story about friendship. Ira and Reggie have always been friends and now Reggie is moving away. Reggie is excited about new things he will get to do in his new home community, which is an hour’s drive away. Ira is not happy. On the day Reggie and his parents move, the boys’ emotions run high. This is a realistic story with a great ending. Nicely illustrated.

[CH_Emily Scholnik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended in "Children's Books in Children's Hands."
Grade Range K-4
http://www.ovguide.com/movies_tv/ira_...
I read the book and then watched the movie on the free website listed above. The movie basically followed the book exactly.

Ira and Reggie have been friends for a long time, but now Reggie is moving away to Greendale, an hour's drive away from their current neighborhood. Ira is devastated but it doesn't help that he is told in an extremely mean way by his older sister! The story goes through Ira's memories of his friendship with Reggie. Their treehouse, their sleepovers, their club and their magic act to name a few. They even have turtles that they keep in the same tank so that they will be best of friends, just like the boys. Reggie seems very excited to move and claims that everyone in Greendale just has "Fun, fun, fun, all of the time." Even before Reggie moves, he starts to seem different and distant to Ira, which adds to Ira's distress. To find out, on the very day of the move, Reggie really is just as upset as Ira and they both cry and promise to call, write and have sleepover visits. It's a nice ending where two friends know that even distance will not break their long friendship. The story is 40 pages long and has fun-filled illustrations of all the fun the boys have had over the years.

A must read for any child, male or female, who is experiencing a best friend moving away.

[Marissa Masterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ira Says Goodbye by Bernard Waber fits under the genre of contemporary realistic fiction. It is about two young children who are best friends. Reggie and his family are moving one hour away. The book is about how the two best friends cope with the upcoming move. This book fits under the literary standards. The characters in this book resemble real life people. There are illustrations on every page that put the text into picture. They are very helpful because you get to see the characters and not wonder what they look like. The main event in Ira Says Goodbye is about a best friend moving away. This is very plausible and many children can relate to it. The children reading this book may have dealt with this in the past or can be going through it now. They will be able to know that others go through these things too. The plot resolution was believable. What was contrived to happen at the end did happen. Reggie and his family did move away. But, he called Ira to come visit him the next weekend. The ending was predictable. I really enjoyed this book. I can't relate to it though because I never had to go through this experience. This book would be a great tool in the classroom. I will definitely use it in my classroom to help children cope with situations like these.

[Noelle Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ira Says Goodbye is a story about friends moving away. Ira finds out his best friend, Reggie, is moving when his insensitive sister spills the beans. Ira becomes heart broken when he finds out that his friend is actually excited about moving to a new town that is an hours car ride away. Eventually, Ira discovers how fun it could be to go visit his friend in an exciting new town.

Ira Says Goodbye addresses the very real topic of a loved one moving away that many children experience. For this reason, Ira Says Goodbye is an appropriate fit for the contemporary realistic fiction genre. According to Tunnel, et al. a successful contemporary realistic fiction book is one where the audience feels like the story relates to their own life. Ira Says Goodbye is relatable for anyone dealing with the hardship of having someone close to them moves away and therefore will also help them work through the situation.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book knocked my socks off, reading it aloud to my 8 year old this morning amidst a busy day and my mind racing about a million details and things I wanted to try and get done.
This book is about grief and loss and moving, something I have some experience with. I could barely finish it aloud, it just absolutely left me awash. It so poigniantly captures the experience of moving away from dear friends, and reassures that it will all be OK. ACH isn't it the worst (best?) when you least expect something to go deep like that? So glad my Catherine shared it with me, although I'm not sure she observed that I was so moved... maybe she did... she pulled out a Knock Knock book for our next one and we both giggled away at those terrible jokes. Jeepers this life is really something!

[Luann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ira, from Ira Sleeps Over, is older now, but still best friends with Reggie. Ira is upset to learn that Reggie will be moving away in two weeks. He's even more upset when Reggie seems to be happy about the move because he's heard so many great things about his new town - although Reggie might not be quite as happy about the move as he seems.

I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as Ira Sleeps Over. The story is longer and wanders a bit more. It would be a nice read for a child dealing with a move or a friend moving away, though.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book to read aloud to children who are facing an upcoming move or a friend moving away. I just happened to pick this up at the library, but I've been wanting to introduce books about this topic as we will be moving in less than a year. This story was a bit long and for some reason, the narrative feels like it should be read very quickly. But our girls still enjoyed the story and we talked a bit about moving, a common occurrence for military families. It's a good story in the "Ira" series.

[Celeste · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ira is upset when he finds his best friend is moving away. Good book to use read to children who are moving away or have a friend who is moving away. The illustrations are great, they are like watercolor paintings. This is a book that should be red aloud as the dialogue can get confusing for a young child. This book can also be used to teach children not only about moving away or having a friend move away, but about friendship, honesty and compassion.

[Kathryn Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to deal with moving, and friendship. This book all around was very relational and very realistic. Most students these days ahve moved and have lost friends. This books supports that just because someone moves away, does not mean that the friendship ends. This book is so positive in a negative situation. It also deald with feelings, and sometimes it may be hard to show ones true feelings when upset.

[Chandra Fleenor · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is about a child having to say goodbye to his friend when they move to another town. The book shows how the child dealt with their friend leaving and not seeing the friend around anymore. Many children lose friends so this would be a great book to read to them. It can get them talking about how it felt to them to lose a friend. I recommend this book to everybody because this does not just apply to children.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although a little old-fashioned (who collects baseball cards anymore?) this book seemed to capture the feeling of two young children when they learn that one will be moving away. Not as good as Ira Sleeps Overbut still fun.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little hard for me to get into. It has a wonderful premise of a friend moving away, but it was very slow, and a lot longer than I had anticipated. It would be a good read for a child who has a friend moving away, but it is not the first one that I would run for. The illustrations are wonderful and go right along with the story perfectly, and helps where the storyline falters.