Each Little Bird That Sings

Book on CD performed by Kim Mai Guest

From the book cover Comfort Snowberger is an Explorer, a Recipe Tester, and a Funeral Reporter. Writing about dead people might seem like a strange hobby for a ten-year-old, but Comfort grew up in a funeral home, so she knows how to deal with death.
Or at least she thinks she does until Great-great-aunt Florentine drops dead – just like that – and everything starts going wrong. Suddenly Comfort’s sniveling, whiny cousin Peach won’t leave her alone. And her best friend, Declaration, whom she could always count on before, has turned downright mean. So now, even if it means missing the most important funeral of her life, all Comfort really wants to do is sit in her closet with her dog, Dismay, show more and hide.
But then something happens that makes Comfort realize how strong she really is … all on her own.


My reactions
This is a lovely Southern coming-of-age story that deals frankly but gently with the realities of death, in a manner that children can easily understand. I loved Comfort and how genuinely compassionate she was, even when exasperated beyond endurance by her eight-year-old cousin’s “ruining everything.” She is obviously loved by an extended family, and cherishes her particular role in the family’s funeral business. She’s imaginative and self-confident, but not immune to the hurts of childhood or feeling selfish. She’s a wonderful character. Her indomitable spirit will endear her to readers.

Fair warning … while this is a generally happy, hopeful book, you will need some tissues. ‘Nuff said.

Kim Mai Guest does a fine job of reading the audiobook version. She really brought the book to life with her performance. She has a perfect “whiny” Peach voice that just made me laugh, and made me as exasperated with him as Comfort obviously was. And her gentle Mama’s voice was the perfect balm during those sections that were more stressful. show less

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 show more 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." show less

Oh how I love this tale! Told from the perspective of ten year old Comfort Snowberger whose family owns the small town funeral home, this is such a delightful book that each page is filled with humor, poignancy and wisdom.

No stranger to the grief of others, Comfort witnessed 247 funerals. When funeral #248 is that of her beloved Great, Great Aunt Florence, quickly followed by funeral #248 of loving, kind Uncle Edisto, Comfort realizes that "Life is full of surprises, not all of them good."

When her childhood friend betrays her and her cousin Peach gets on her every last nerve, she has her wonderful dog Dismay to get her through.

spoiler --- When Dismay tragically is lost, Comfort's grief is severe. Realizing that we grieve in equal show more measure to the love we received and give, Comfort incredibly shines through.

This is a book of hope, of sunshine through the rain, of images that melt your heart and then make you laugh right out loud.

With characters named Tidings, Comfort, Dismay, Baby Merry, Declaration and Peach, the creativity leaps from the pages.

Highly Recommended! show less

This is a five star book, no question. But it is one of the saddest books I have ever read. I don't think my eyes were free of tears for the last 100 pages of the book.

Comfort Snowberger (most of the characters have exceptionally odd names) is the 10 year old daughter in a family owned funeral home. Like the TV series Six Feet Under, the family lives upstairs, and the funeral home business is downstairs. Unlike Six Feet Under, this is the very opposite of a dysfunctional family. Mother, father, and three children, along with a great-great aunt and uncle, all live in harmony and love together (as long as little cousin Peach doesn't come to visit.)

But then death comes calling. And it's different when it's members of Comfort's own family, show more than when it is other people in the community. Comfort's best friend, Declaration has spontaneously decided to be mean to Comfort, and a few months after her great-great uncle's death, her great-great aunt follows.

And that's just the beginning. To say much more would give away too much.

I highly recommend the book, but if, like me, you are prone to tears - read it alone in a private place. And if you don't like sad books, do not walk, RUN away from this one! show less

I read this book in one sitting. It was such that I wanted to.

Comfort Snowberger: Explorer, Recipe Tester and Funeral Reporter — an unusual description for a ten-year-old girl, but then Comfort comes from an unusual background. Comfort has been around death all her life — her father is the town undertaker and the family lives above the mortuary in Snapfinger, Mississippi.

Things change, in Comfort’s world, in March. Great-Uncle Edisto, patriarch and one of the founders of Snowberger’s Funeral Home, dies from a stroke. It upset Comfort, but she “got through it.” In September of the same year, Great-Great-Aunt Florentine, widow of the other founder of the funeral home, died. She had gone out to work in her vegetable garden, as show more usual. Comfort found her lying on the ground. At 94, Florentine felt it was time to go. These two deaths strike closer to Comfort than the usual deaths that come through the mortuary.

Comfort finds herself dealing with the loss of two family members she’d known all her life, along with a couple of curve balls that come in the form of her best friend not being there for her and having to take care of her cousin, Peach, when he and his momma come for the funeral.

It falls on Comfort’s shoulders to care for him. Peach is a neurotic eight year-old and Comfort has become his security blanket. In dealing with Peach and the experiences both go through, Comfort learns a lot about the both of them and the strength of family.

Written from the view point of Comfort, it is a story of a young girl learning about life, death and family on a more personal level. It is a book that not only kids can learn from, but also adults. show less

Ten-year-old Comfort Snowberger, of Snowberger’s Funeral Home in Snapfinger, Mississippi, is accustomed to death. However, after the loss of her Great-great-aunt Florentine, Comfort must attend to her obnoxious and emotionally fragile cousin, Peach, despite a devastating fight with her best friend and her own feelings of grief. Comfort’s only reliable companion is Dismay, her delightfully expressive “feel-good” dog. At the suspenseful climax of this novel, Comfort, Peach, and Dismay are swept away in a flash flood and Comfort is forced to save her cousin at the expense of her dog. As she learns the value of family, forgiveness, and friendship, readers will feel Comfort’s wrenching grief and appreciation for life. Wiles brings show more these characters and their sleepy southern town to life against the backdrop of death. The addition of Comfort’s recipes, Life Notices, and tips for funeral behavior provide humorous relief and further endear Comfort to readers. Each Little Bird That Sings is a celebration of life which will appeal to many young readers, particularly those who are dealing with a loss of their own. show less

FROM LIBRARY CATALOG:
Comfort Snowberger is well acquainted with death since her family runs the funeral parlor in their small southern town, but even so the ten-year-old is unprepared for the series of heart-wrenching events that begins on the first day of Easter vacation with the sudden death of her beloved great-uncle Edisto.
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Opening line: "I come from a family with a lot of dead people."

A book that made me sob -- not only for the dog called Dismay that dies, but also for Comfort as she struggles to embody the family motto: "we live to serve" -- which means accepting the attention and responsibility for her annoying younger cousin Peach -- as well as accepting the loss of her beloved Great-uncle Edisto and show more Great-great-aunt Florentine, two elderly people who always said things like, "It takes courage to look life i nthe eye and say yes to the messy glory." Comfort accordingly writes Life Notices for the local paper, rather than Death Notices, though none gets published until the one she writes for Dismay, the dog who dies in the flood because Comfort had to choose who to save, Peach or Dismay. Comfort also struggles to understand her (former) best friend, Declaration, who deserts and hurts her. A wonderful tear-jerker.

A slice of the American South (made me think of Because of Winn-Dixie), describing a wholesome extended family with pillars of strong, supportive adults. show less