Over the years, there were many more
thank you’s and good-byes.
They found a butterfly on the side of the road,
and Grandpa said, “You have traveled far from
caterpillar to butterfly. Thank you for showing
us how to age with beauty and grace.”
The girl added, “Thank you, butterfly,
for being a flower with wings.”
This book tells the story of a special relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter. The two take nature walks starting when the girl is just a toddler–they “wobbled along, side by side, hand in hand, smile to smile.” When they discover a dead grasshopper on a walk, the girl asks what they should do. Her grandfather’s reply is “We can say thank you and good-bye.” And so they say this message to the grasshopper and other dead creatures that they discover on their walks throughout the years. As they age, grandfather and granddaughter “shuffle along, side by side, hand in hand, smile to smile until one day the girl walks alone.” Then the girl must use the lesson she learned to say a final, special “thank you and good-bye” to her beloved grandfather.
