While You Are Away

by Eileen Spinelli

Book Overview

Spinellis lyrical, patriotic text and Graefs uplifting illustrations depicting military families combine to create a reassuring book about separation and reunion. Full color. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786809728
• ISBN13: 9780786809721
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: Hyperion Books
• Length: 1 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 10.4" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Great for deployments

I bought this book for my children and it really helped my kids deal with my separation. It let them know that they were not alone and that other kids were going through the same thing. I also think it helped for them to see that deployments are temporary and that I would be coming back home.

Great choice

I'm not sure if I'll be able to read this book to my baby without crying. Great choice for children with deployed parents.

Good for all branches

I just read this book to my daughter, and we loved it. It gives the perspective of three children whose parents are a sailor, an airwoman, and a soldier. It was touching, with the children missing their parents who are far, far away. It's not the best of Spinelli's work, but my daughter was able to see that other military children miss their parents while they are separated, as well. I definitely recommend it to all military families with young children. Perfect for toddlers to early school-age!

You Know You've Been Through a Deployment and Homecoming if You Can't Get Through The End of This Bo

This book is amazing. The illustrations are so beautiful, and the emotions very real. The author captures the feelings without being overly wordy or sappy. Very well written. Since this book was so special to my children (and me) during my husband's last deployment, I've shared it with other friends' families during their deployments, and also with my children's teachers to read in their classrooms. They've all given it rave reviews. The teachers especially wanted their own copies to be able to read to the military children in their classes each year, since deployments are routine in our neighborhood.

A Touching and Timely Book

Our world is facing uncertain times to say the least. In many cases, those who are paying a great price during these times are the young children of the soldiers stationed overseas. Eileen Spinelli, wife of author Jerry Spinelli addresses these young people and the issues they face in her book WHILE YOU ARE AWAY. The book tells of a variety of young children who will do various things to remember their parents serving in the military until Mom or Dad returns home again. The soldiers are both fathers and mothers and the children are various races and nationalities which gives the book a broad appeal. Renee Graef's beautiful illustrations add to the charm of this timely book.This book is a must for the children of our service men and women as they cope with an overwhelming situation in their young lives, but will also help other young people understand the challenges facing many of their neighbors, classmates, and friends. We should be thankful such a book has been written, but let us also hope that the situation our world finds itself in may be resolved quickly so that this book can be outdated very soon.