Mom, Dad, and their two young sons go to a farm for a week’s vacation. Sam and Eli meet the farm’s two rescue donkeys, Lucky & Norman. The donkeys step back from the fence and will not come forward. The farmer tells them all they must give the donkeys time to trust them, and he has some ideas for what the boys can do.
It isn’t until the morning of the third day of their week that Lucky & Norman were at the fence waiting for them. Now they could play together with them, and they did – all day. The boys and the donkeys had a great time.
A few days later, the boys are sad because they must leave the next day and will never see the donkeys again. The farmer has some words of advice. And as the family drives away, Mama says. “The quiet ache of goodbye…but also, the gentle joy of remembering.” It is bittersweet.
This is a picture book for children.
Cain, Susan. Lucky & Norman: Saying Goodbye is Bittersweet. Rocky Pond Books, 2026.
