A watercolor illustration of a cozy living room corner featuring a leather armchair with a Dalmatian dog lying on it, a tall potted plant with green leaves, and a large window with sheer curtains, with the book title "Bodacious Bowman and the Chair by the Window" written across the top and "Written and Illustrated by Claire Whiteman" at the bottom.

Bodacious Bowman and the Chair by the Window.

A tender picture book about love, loss, and the ways memory stays close. When Aunt Pearl is no longer in her chair by the window, Bowman misses her in a way that feels bigger than words. Slowly, he begins to understand that goodbye does not mean love is gone.

Available now for direct orders through IngramSpark and Amazon!

Hardcover
A premium 44-page, full-color hardcover edition with a matte cover and 70 lb interior paper.
$28.99

Hardback through Amazon
Hardback through IngramSpark

Paperback
A 44-page, full-color paperback edition with a glossy cover.
$15.99

Paperback through IngramSpark
Paperback through Amazon


A Gentle Story of Love, Loss, and Remembering

Two Dalmatian puppies resting on an armchair and one puppy sitting on the floor in a cozy living room with plants and sunlight.

When Familiar Places Feel Different

A favorite chair. A quiet room. A blue ball waiting where Aunt Pearl used to be. Simple, familiar details help show how loss can change the places children know best, while also giving them gentle images for remembering, missing, and beginning to understand absence.

Making Room for Big Feelings

Dalmatian dog running inside a home, near a windowsill with curtains, in a room with hardwood flooring.

Room for Big Feelings

Bowman does not move through grief in a straight line. His sadness comes out in motion, questions, and a storm too big to hold quietly. This story gives young readers room to recognize the confusion, anger, and ache that can come when someone they love is gone.

A Dalmatian dog sitting on the floor in front of a brown leather armchair in a living room with sunlight streaming through sheer curtains.

The Quiet Places Love Remains

When Aunt Pearl is no longer in her favorite chair by the window, Bowman does not know where she has gone. The room feels different. The quiet feels bigger. In familiar places, small moments, and the gentle love Aunt Pearl left behind, Bowman begins to learn that goodbye does not mean love is gone.

A Dalmatian dog with black spots on a white coat, standing outdoors on a dirt path with a blurred natural background, smiling with its tongue out.

Joy Can Return

Bowman’s story does not rush sadness away. It allows room for missing Aunt Pearl while showing that warmth, play, and joy can slowly return. Love remains part of him as he takes brave steps forward into new days.

Dalmatian dog lying on the floor with a blue ball in front of it, near a pink couch with curtains in the background.

Goodbye Does Not Mean Love Is Gone

Bowman still misses Aunt Pearl, but the hurt begins to soften. In the warmth of familiar places, in small brave steps, and in the gentle choices he makes, he begins to understand that love can stay close in a different way. Aunt Pearl is no longer in her favorite chair by the window, but the love she gave him remains in the way he moves forward.

For Families, Caregivers, and Honest Conversations

A meaningful choice for families navigating the death of a loved one, including a beloved pet, and for children asking where someone has gone. This gentle picture book can support grown ups beginning difficult conversations, as well as caregivers, counselors, teachers, and librarians looking for an emotionally honest story about grief, memory, and continuing love. With expressive illustrations and an animal-centered story, Bodacious Bowman and the Chair by the Window offers a tender way to sit with loss, remembrance, and the love that remains.