Each Little Bird That Sings

Have you ever wondered what it must be like to live in a funeral home? In Each Little Bird That Sings, by Deborah Wiles, we get a taste of that life through the eyes of Comfort Snowberger. Comfort's family runs the Snowberger Funeral Home in the town of Snapfinger, Mississippi. According to Comfort ". . . if your house is also the funeral home . . . you're always on call, just like the fire department is always on call. You never know for sure when calamity will strike." And it did. Two people that Comfort loved died: her great uncle Edisto, and her great aunt Florentine. In the midst of all this her best friend decides not to be her best friend anymore. Comfort could deal with all this better if she didn't have to put up with her irritating younger cousin Peach who shows up to make her life miserable. On the day of Great Aunt Florentine's funeral, Peach, Comfort, and Dismay (the family dog), are caught up in a storm that causes Snapfinger Creek to flood. They are swept downstream and fight for their lives. Comfort loses someone very important to her in the flood, but finds out what it means to have the love of family and friends.

This was a delightful realistic fiction book for children. I loved reading about the close relationships Comfort had with her parents and family. I chuckled at the "life notices" she wrote for the local paper and her descriptions of her cousin Peach. Snapfinger, the fictional town where the story is set, reminded me of the small town where I grew up. When there was a funeral everyone turned out with food, help, and hugs. Wiles totally captured the emotional trauma of a young girl going through the feeling that she has lost her best friend and others that she loves. She also does a great job of showing how these very normal experiences help her gain perspective on life and realize what's really important.

This is a heartwarming book and a great read. I recommend it for grades 4-6, but even older children and young adults will enjoy it.

Keywords associated with this book: funerals, funeral homes, morticians, death, dying, family relationships, love, pets, floods, best friends, friendships.