By: Deborah Wiles Publisher: Harcourt Paperbacks Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Harcourt Paperbacks Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 276 Publication Date: August 01, 2006 Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Ten-year-old Comfort Snowberger has attended 247 funerals--her family owns the local funeral home, after all. And even though Great-uncle Edisto keeled over with a heart attack and Great-great-aunt Florentine dropped dead--just like that--six months later, Comfort knows how to deal with loss, or so she thinks. She's more concerned with avoiding her crazy cousin Peach and trying to figure out why her best friend, Declaration, suddenly won't talk to her. But life is full of surprises. And the biggest one of all is learning what it takes to handle them.
In this heartfelt and quintessentially Southern coming-of-age novel, Comfort will charm young readers with her wit, her warmth, and her struggles as she learns about life, loss, and ultimately, triumph.
Includes reader's guide and a biography of the author.
Amazon.com Review: Death is a way of life for the Snowberger family, since they run a funeral parlor out of their Mississippi home with the motto "We live to serve." Still, when 94-year-old Great-great-aunt Florentine Snowberger dies in the vegetable garden, no one can truly be prepared, even though she'd been bidding "good night and good-bye" to the family every night since she turned 90. Florentine's death is hard on 10-year-old Comfort, since the two were so close, even co-writing the Fantastic (and Fun) Funeral Food for Family and Friends. It's no surprise, then, when the annoyingly overwrought emotional displays of her young cousin Peach Shuggars and the sudden iciness of her alleged best friend Declaration Johnson send Comfort over the edge. Thank goodness for her shaggy "feel-good" dog Dismay who can eradicate all bad feelings with a single slobbery lick.
When a dangerous flash flood comes to Snapfinger on the day of Florentine's funeral, Comfort learns again that life is full of surprises, good and bad, and that, ultimately, it's just good to be alive. This warm, witty novel, told in Comfort's voice (and a mix of letters, recipes, articles, and helpful hints), celebrates the joys of family, of prune bread, of freshly sharpened pencils, and of "each little bird that sings." The fairly constant philosophizing about life and death, the unusual character names (Tidings, Comfort, Joy), and the narrator's oft-precocious voice may fray a nerve or two, but readers will find more than enough humor and good old-fashioned storytelling here to make up for it. (Ages 8 to 12) --Karin Snelson
Granddaughter request.... I haven't the faintest idea of whether this book is good or bad. All I know is that my 12-year old granddaughter loves the series, and she has managed to be a teriffic kid despite it, and anything that gets her to read is a good thing.
I come from a family with a lot of dead people That is the first line of the book. Comfort lives and works in the Snowberger Family Funeral home. It is really nice to see a book that so genuinely and honestly talks about a subject as monumental death. This book is really beautiful. Comfort Snowberger doesn't like her cousin Peach and he's coming to visit, Comfort's best friend Declaration is acting funny and she's hurting Comfort's feelings and to top it off her two favorite people die in the same year. I love how honestly and openly the topic of death, friendship, fitting in, "doing" even though you don't want to do is covered in this book.
I read this book with some 9 year olds. I gave a copy to some 65 year olds. Everyone that I've read this with or given this book to has loved it.
Great Book Let me start out with this- Each little bird that sings is a great book. It's about a girl who lives in a funeral home, amidst a beauty-queen mom, brat-of-a-cousin, and a comforting dog named Dismay. The girl's name is Comfort, Comfort Snowberger, an 11-year-old who lives in the small town of Snapfinger. Comfort's life was thrown like a rag doll when her great-uncle Edisto died. They had gone on "pic-a-nics", played games, and had great times with each other. Just after recovering from Edisto's death, Comfort's great-great-aunt Florentine dies in her garden. Comfort is devastated. In the days leading up to Aunt Florentine's funeral, Comfort's cousin, Peach, comes. Comfort's best friend hates Peach, and starts to avoid Comfort. Finally, Declaration, Comfort's BFF, agrees to come to Aunt Florentine's funeral, but she's REALLY mean to Comfort. The rest of the book consists of a flash-flood, lost dog, and a friendship that might never be regained. If you want a good, true-to-life book to read this summer, this is for you! I love the way that what Comfort says is so REAL that you can almost picture that she exists! I also like how there's little bits and pieces of recipes, newspaper articles, and journal entries in this book. Wiles does a great job discribing life and the world of Snapfinger from an 11-year-old's eyes. So go ahead, buy this book, and rejoice in the truth of one author's words.
Each Little Bird That Sings This book begins with the truth and a fact that I agree with which is what makes this book so strong: It doesn't matter how you die; it matters how you live your life. This is my favorite book ever!
It's about a girl named Comfort and her family who run a funeral home. It tells how she and her family deal with death. When her aunt dies, her family comes to the funeral, and then when her cousin Peach comes everything goes wrong. Soon enough Peach and Comfort start to get along,but then something horrible happens. If you want to know what happens, you will have to read the book. Comfort and her friend Declaration are having trouble as friends, and soon Comfort is blaming everything on Declaration.
I like this book, because it has things that would happen in real life, like someone dying. I also like it because of the way Deborah Wiles makes the characters Comfort and Peach remind me of my brother and me.
If you like this book, you will like Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech.
By Elizabeth
Each Little Bird That Sings This book is a great book for anyone of any age to read. I loved the colorful names of each character and the relationships the main character had with her family and friends. This is a must read!
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
