Moving company launches kid’s guide, coloring style

By Andrea Gregory

When it was time to move, the little, stuffed thread bear was reluctant to give up him home.
"I don’t want to go. I want to stay here. I want my room with all the things I know," said the small bear to his mother armed with a moving box.

Moving can be a scary thing. And for years, Gentle Giant movers have seen nervous children clinging to the comfort of their surroundings come moving day. Part of the moving process is to make sure all the fragile keepsakes are safely packed away. But another part is to ensure everything runs smoothly. Gentle Giant decided calming the anxiety of young children was something the company would start doing this month.

Along with bubble wrap and boxes, Gentle Giant movers also carry coloring books on the trucks. “Goodbye Room” – a 17 page coloring book – was launched this month. The rhyming story line will take young readers through the moving experience through the eyes of a teddy bear.

"I have been in the business for a long while. Often these kids will be upset when we come in and take apart their room or their little world, if you will," said Robert Swift the author and illustrator of “Goodbye Room.”

Swift, a 23-year veteran of the Somerville based moving company, is a senior crew chief. He said he enjoys the human interaction involved in his work, and can’t say enough good things about his employer.

"We think of ourselves as an exceptional company," he said. And with the coloring book, "We definitely have improved the moving experience."

Swift said crew workers have started leaving the coloring books with parents. Sometimes they are dropped off when the workers conduct an assessment before moving day. Parents will read over the story with their children, and small hands will try to color in the lines of illustrations, reflecting their situations. The book has seemed to help many in the first batch to receive one, said Swift. On moving day, several kids have asked crew members to sign their copies, he said.

"The type of response has been very pleasing," he said.

Swift has been drawing for years. He said he was first inspired by his Burlington High School art teacher, Eleanor Marvin. Swift has done cartooning for local newspapers and plans to continue his work as an illustrator with more projects in the future. He is grateful Gentle Giant saw the coloring book as beneficial to the company and the customer.

"I think it’s great. Our guys carry them on the trucks, and it’s a good tool for parents to use," said Abigail Plimpton, marketing specialist for Gentle Giant. "Moving is one of the most stressful events in your life, and it is definitely stressful for kids."

For a free copy of “Goodbye Room” or more information about Gentle Giant check out the Web site www. gentlegiant.com.