The Good~Bye Book by Judith Viorst (1988) gave me a sense of déjà vu. It seems to be the same story as Don’t Forget to Come Back by Robie H. Harris and illustrated by Harry Bliss.(1978).
Viorst’s version of the story is about the young boy whose parents are going out to a French restaurant. He objects dramatically to their leaving. He recommends they go to McDonald’s with him, or that he dresses up and goes with them to the French restaurant. We read about the many anticipated problems of a babysitter. Kay Chorao chose to illustrate said imagined babysitter as a woman with frizzy blonde curls and large blue pearls. She expects him to eat vegetables and watch the TV programs that she likes. When his parents remain unconvinced, the child says he’s getting sick so sick he can’t eat or drink anything except maybe a little ice cream. The little boy finally says he may run away from home. In the end, the boy is pleasantly surprised by the babysitter who shows up.
I compare Viorst's story with Robbie Harris‘s story on my Wordpress site.
