Yard Sale

Yard Sale written by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Lauren Castillo (2015)

Callie’s family is moving from a big house to a small apartment in the city. Callie is sad to see almost everything her family owns in the front yard. She doesn’t like when people ask her mother to take less money than what is marked on the items. She hates saying good-bye to her best friend from next door. She really hates when someone loads her bicycle in the back of his truck. And she is especially afraid when a well-meaning lady asks if she is for sale too. Callie runs crying to her parents. They assure her that they would never sell her. When they return to the empty house, Callie sees that they really didn’t need all that stuff because they still have each other.

This is a wonderful book for an older picture book reader to read independently or to read together with anyone who is moving. Feelings of loss, sadness, anger, and fear are all common when children, and adults, are moving. This book does a great job of validating those feelings Callie and her parents have when it’s time to sell everything they own and move away.

If your child is not experiencing a move, they may be more apt to enjoy a yard sale. It’s a great way to clear out the clutter of out-grown toys,clothes, and furniture. Maybe you could plan a purge in your house. Whatever doesn’t sell will find a home in a charity warehouse. Work with your child to decide what must stay and what must go. Let him/her negotiate those things that could go either way. Think about pricing and agree on what to do with the money he/she earns in a yard sale. You might want to let your child do his/her own money transactions if they are pretty good with coins and bills.