Old Pearl

by Wendy Wahman, Wendy Wahman (Illustrator)

Overview

A young boy deals with the sadness of losing a pet in this gentle, sweet ode to how nothing can take away what lives in our heart.

Theo loves feeding the birds. All the birds. But he tries his hardest to aim his seeds to the old bird with the raggedy wing—Pearl.

Soon, they are sharing apples and peanut butter, enjoying a good breeze, and sitting heartbeat to heartbeat.

But sometimes friends have to say goodbye...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534462694
Publisher:	Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Publication date:	06/01/2021
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.50(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD520L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Wendy Wahman lives in Washington State with big poodles, old cats, and a husband named Joe. She’s won many awards for illustration, but her greatest joy is loving the two-, three-, and four-legged animals she has known. She is author and illustrator of the picture books Don’t Lick the Dog, A Cat Like That, and Old Pearl.

Wendy Wahman lives in Washington State with big poodles, old cats, and a husband named Joe. She’s won many awards for illustration, but her greatest joy is loving the two-, three-, and four-legged animals she has known. She is author and illustrator of the picture books Don’t Lick the Dog, A Cat Like That, and Old Pearl.

Editorial Reviews

08/01/2021

K-Gr 2—Theo feeds the birds regularly, giving special attention to the one with a raggedy wing. Naming her Pearl after his grandmother, he protects the bird, both to allow it to eat and to keep it safe from other animals. Theo realizes he considers the bird his own, and Grandma Pearl helps him create a new home for the creature—a place to play, a place to sleep, a place to share their "apples with peanut butter." Theo wakes one morning and little Pearl does not. As Theo's memories of Pearl turn "from tears to smiles," he is able to say goodbye. Digital collage scenes in charcoal pencil and watercolor reveal Theo and his grandma, who are Black, when they are at home, in the park, or in the car while he learns to understand the needs of a new family member. VERDICT With a note on how to approach injured animals and animal care referencing information from the Audubon Society and the Humane Society, this recommended general purchase recognizes the social emotional learning present in young readers' growing awareness of animal needs in the wild and also the necessary time for all children to take in recovery for the loss of pets or loved ones.—Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano I.S.D., TX

School Library Journal

2021-04-14
A child befriends a bird then copes with losing it.

Theo, a brown-skinned boy with curly, brown hair, likes to feed the birds at the park. “He tried his hardest to aim his seeds toward the bird with the raggedy wing,” notes the text. When this bird is nearly attacked by a dog, Theo rescues it and brings it home to his grandmother Pearl, after whom he’s named the bird (and who shares his coloring but with gray hair). Grandma Pearl helps him care for the bird, and they even bring it to a veterinarian. After learning the bird doesn’t have anything wrong with it (it’s just old), Grandma Pearl is persuaded to keep it at their home to convalesce. The softly edged cartoons show cozy scenes of Theo caring for Old Pearl, and then they depict his sadness when the bird dies. Grandma Pearl helps Theo mourn this loss. A closing scene shows him carrying an origami bird he’s made in tribute to Old Pearl to the park, where he sees a one-legged bird who seems to need extra care, too. While a closing author’s note cautions readers not to touch wild animals, even in attempts to help them, the story and tender illustrations send a starkly different message, which may prove confusing. Also odd is the choice to color these urban birds a uniform yellow rather than representing them as something recognizable, such as pigeons. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Sweet but sadly bewildering. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews