Why I Created a Story Version of Bye-Bye, Boobies

"Without translation, we would be living in provinces bordering on silence." 
— George Steiner
Promotional graphic with a pale yellow background featuring two editions of Bye-Bye, Boobies by Jacqueline Cooper. Purple text at the top reads “Rhyming Picture Book • Prose Story Edition.” The original rhyming edition cover appears on the left with a blue title and the subtitle “A Weaning Poem.” The prose story edition appears on the right with a red title and the subtitle “A Weaning Story.” Both covers show a smiling toddler crawling on a picnic blanket beside a stuffed bunny and monarch butterflies. Large purple text at the bottom reads, “Two ways to share the same story.”


The Original Bye-Bye, Boobies Poem

When I first wrote Bye-Bye, Boobies, I wrote it as a rhyming picture book as that is how it flowed onto the page for me and how I thought about it as I was walking the dog. 

It reminded me of how much those types of book almost felt like a song when I read them out loud and how the toddlers I'd read to would join in. So for me, the rhythm and repetition felt like a natural fit for a story about weaning. It's safe to say that young children often enjoy hearing the same words and phrases again and again, and rhyme can make a story fun to read aloud which was my goal.

The Adapted Version of Bye-Bye, Boobies

As I continued working on the book, however, I began thinking about readers who might prefer a different format and even some of the people who read the book mentioned that they have so many rhyming books at home. Not everyone enjoys rhyming books. Some parents prefer straightforward storytelling. Some children connect more easily with prose. Grandparents, educators, and professionals may also be looking for a version that reads more like a traditional picture book. 

The prose version follows the same family, the same emotional journey, and the same gentle farewell to breastfeeding, but it tells the story in a different way. Instead of relying on rhyme and rhythm, it allows the story to unfold naturally through narrative. The illustrations are the same so nothing was lost there and for kids that's really the important part.

Translations of Bye-Bye, Boobies

There was another reason for creating this edition as well, I had always planned on having my book translated. (see Why Human Translators Still Matter in an AI world).

Rhyme is one of the most difficult things to translate successfully. A translator often has to choose between preserving the original meaning and preserving the rhyme. Doing both at the same time can be challenging, especially in a picture book where every word matters.

A prose version removes that barrier. Translators can focus on the story itself without needing to recreate a rhyming pattern in another language. As Little Goodbyes Press continues to explore books in multiple languages, having a prose edition creates new possibilities for future translations.

The Story that Remains the Same

For me, this was never about replacing the original book, I look at this version the same way I look at the translations, it's the story at the heart of it that is most important. 

The rhyming edition remains the version that started it all, that started an entire new chapter in my life. The story edition simply offers another doorway into the same experience. Families can choose the format they enjoy most, while translators, educators, and libraries have an option that may better suit their needs.

Stories are often told in more than one way. This is simply another way of sharing the same goodbye.

You can now find in both its original rhyming picture book edition and its new prose story edition through your favourite bookstore.

You can explore all of our current titles on our Books Page.

If you'd like to help share our works, visit our Libraries Page for circulation details and ISBNs.

Our books are available through major retailers including Chapters, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop, and Waterstones.



Location: Canada

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