Each Little Bird That Sings

By Deborah Wiles

Ten-year-old Comfort Snowberger has attended 247 funerals. But that's not surprising, considering that her family runs the town funeral home. 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. Life is full of surprises. And the biggest one of all is learning what it takes to handle them.

Deborah Wiles has created a unique, funny, and utterly real cast of characters 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Feb 16, 2016
• ISBN: 9780547539041

Deborah Wiles

DEBORAH WILES is the award-winning author of Each Little Bird That Sings, a National Book Award finalist; Love, Ruby Lavender, an ALA Notable Children's Book, a Children's Book Sense 76 Pick, an NCTE Notable Book for the Language Arts, and a New York Public Library Book for Reading and Sharing; Freedom Summer, a Coretta Scott King Honor Book; The Aurora County All-Stars, a New York Public Library Book for Reading and Sharing; and One Wide Sky. She lives in Georgia.www.deborahwiles.com

Book preview

Song #72

from the Snowberger’s Funeral Home Book of Suggested Songs for Significant Occasions

ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL (AND TERRIBLE!)

Tune: Royal Oak (English Folk Melody)

Original Text: Cecil F. Alexander (1818–1895), a long time ago

Slightly Revised and Lovingly Updated by Edisto Snowberger

Chorus:

All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful:

We’re family to them all!

Verse 1:

Each little flower that opens,

Each little bird that sings,

How resplendent are their colors!

How magnificent their wings!

(Chorus)

Verse 2:

The purple-headed mountains,

The river rushing by,

The sunset, and the morning,

That brightens up the sky!

(Chorus)

Verse 3:

The biting wind in winter,

The scorching summer sun,

The ripe fruits in the garden:

They’re cousins! Every one!

(Chorus)

Verse 4:

The thorny bushes that snag us,

The knees we skin when we play,

The snakes that hiss, the kin we kiss,

All lovable in their way!

(Chorus)

Chapter 1

I come from a family with a lot of dead people.

Great-uncle Edisto keeled over with a stroke on a Saturday morning after breakfast last March. Six months later, Great-great-aunt Florentine died—just like that—in the vegetable garden. And, of course, there are all the dead people who rest temporarily downstairs, until they go off to the Snapfinger Cemetery. I’m related to them, too. Uncle Edisto always told me, Everybody’s kin, Comfort.

Downstairs at Snowberger’s, my daddy deals with death by misadventure, illness, and natural causes galore. Sometimes I ask him how somebody died. He tells me, then he says, "It’s not how you die that makes the important impression, Comfort; it’s how you live. Now go live awhile, honey, and let me get back to work." But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me back up. I’ll start with Great-uncle Edisto and last March, since that death involves me—I witnessed it.

It was March 27, the first day of Easter vacation. I had just finished deviling eggs in the upstairs kitchen. Uncle Edisto and I were planning the first picnic of spring. My best friend, Declaration Johnson, would be joining us. I was sitting at the kitchen table, scarfing down my Chocolate Buzz Krispies. Uncle Edisto licked the end of his pencil and scribbled onto the crossword puzzle in the Aurora County News. Daddy and Mama were working. Great-great-aunt Florentine had just sneaked her ritual piece of bacon from the paper-toweled rack by the stove.

I’m off to the garden, darlin’s! she said. I feel a need to sing to the peas! She kissed Great-uncle Edisto’s head. He looked up from his crossword puzzle and sang—to the tune of Oh! Susanna—Oh, Peas Anna! Don’t you cry for me . . . I laughed with my mouth full of cereal. Aunt Florentine blew me a kiss, then she drifted out of the room, singing to herself: For I come from Mississippi with a Moon Pie on my knee!

‘Moon Pie’! said Uncle Edisto, poising his pencil over the crossword puzzle. That’s it! Twenty-four across!

The sky had been clouding up all morning, but I was ignoring all signs of rain. A grumble of thunder brought my dog, Dismay, to the kitchen, where he shoved himself at my feet under the table, pressed his shaggy black body against my legs, and shuddered.

Oh, now, doggie! said Great-uncle Edisto, peering under the table at Dismay. You don’t have to worry about no thunder! It’s a beautiful day for a pic-a-nic! Uncle Edisto was always optimistic. Yessir, he said, smiling at me, a pic-a-nic at Listening Rock should be just about perfect today!

Then—Craaaack! went the thunder. Sizzle! went the lightning. And Boom! . . . The sky opened wide and rain sheared down like curtains.

Dismay scrambled for my lap, bobbling the kitchen table on his back.

Whoa, doggie! called Great-uncle Edisto. He steadied the table as Dismay yelped and tried to get out from under the table and onto me.

Down, Dismay! I shouted. Milk sloshed out of my bowl, and I made a mighty push-back in my chair. Dismay’s toenails clawed my legs and his thick coat crammed itself into my nose as my chair tipped sideways with me and Dismay in it. "Umpgh!" The air left my body. My Snowberger’s baseball cap popped right off my head. And there I was, lying on the kitchen floor with a sixty-five-pound dog in my face. He stuck his shaggy snout into my neck and shivered. An obituary headline flashed into my mind: Local Girl, 10, Done In by Storm and Petrified Pet!

Into the middle of all this commotion clomped my little sister, Merry, wearing Mama’s high heels and a red slip that pooled around her feet. I peeked at her from under my dog blanket. As soon as she saw me, her eyebrows popped high and her mouth rounded into a tiny O of surprise.

Dead! she said.

No, I said. I spit out dog hair. It was fine and silky and tasted like the cow pond.

You all right, Comfort? Great-uncle Edisto towered over me. He wore fat blue suspenders, and I could smell his old-person-after-shaving smell.

I’m okay.

My head hurt. My plans were ruined. My dog was overwrought. But other than that, I was fine.

Fumfort! chirped Merry.

Move, Dismay! I pushed at him, but Dismay was glued to me like Elmer’s. He gave my face three quick licks with his wet tongue, as if to say, Yep, it’s thunder! Yep, it’s thunder!! Yep, it’s thunder!!!

Merry turned herself around and stomped out of the kitchen, singing, to the tune of Jingle Bells: Fumfort dead, Fumfort dead, Fumfort dead away!

Downstairs the front doors slammed, and my older brother, Tidings, who had been painting the fence by the front parking lot, yelled, "Attention, all personnel! Where are the big umbrellas! I need rain cover!"

Dismay immediately detached himself from me and scuttled for the grand front staircase to find Tidings, who was bigger than I was and who offered more protection.

I gazed at the ceiling and took stock of the situation. One: It was raining hard. There went my picnic. Two: Best friend or not, Declaration would not come over in the rain—she didn’t like to get wet. There went my plans. Three: I didn’t have a three, but if I thought about it long enough, I would.

Great-uncle Edisto extended a knobby hand to me and winced as he pulled me to my feet. He gave me my baseball cap, and I used both hands to pull it back onto my head.

You’re gettin’ to be a big girl, he said. He picked up the newspaper, tucked his pencil behind his ear, and looked out at the downpour. His voice took on a thoughtful tone. The rain serves us.

Great-uncle Edisto always talked like that. Everything, even death, served us, according to him. Everything had a grand purpose, and there was nothing amiss in the universe; it was our job to adjust to whatever came our way. I didn’t get it.

We can have us some deviled eggs and tuner-fish sandwiches right here in the kitchen, Comfort, he went on. Or, we can try another day for that pic-a-nic.

When I didn’t answer, he turned his head to find me. What’s the matter, honey?

I’m disappointed. I studied my scratched-up legs.

So am I! Great-uncle Edisto took a Snowberger’s handkerchief out of his shirt pocket and mopped at his face. I like to pic-a-nic more than a bee likes to bumble!

He did.

While we straightened the table and chairs and cleaned up the spilled cereal, Great-uncle Edisto told me about how disappointments can be good things—like the time he thought he’d planted Abraham Lincoln tomato plants in the garden but found out later they were really Sunsweet cherry tomatoes. He’d had his heart set on sinking his teeth into those fat Abe Lincoln tomatoes, but then he discovered that he liked the Sunsweets even better—and besides, he could pop a whole Sunsweet into his mouth at once and save his front teeth some wear and tear. A distinct advantage at my age, he said.

That doesn’t help my mood, I said. The rain pounded so hard on the tin roof, it made a roaring sound inside the kitchen and we had to shout to be heard.

Think of disappointment as a happy little surprise, Comfort. For instance . . . Great-uncle Edisto pushed his glasses up on his nose and smiled like he had just invented a new thought. I think I’ll get me a nap. He was breathing hard. There’s always something good to come out of disappointment, Comfort. You’ll see.

I could tell by the rhythm and tone of his voice that he was working up to his grand finale: Open your arms to life! Let it strut into your heart in all its messy glory!

I don’t like messes, I told him. I like my plans.

Uncle Edisto patted me on the shoulder and lumbered off to his room. I called Declaration on the kitchen telephone, but her line was busy. I hung up and waited for her to call me, but she didn’t, so I tried dialing her six more times. Then I gave up.

Tidings slammed the downstairs doors on his way back outside, and Dismay came to find me. We went to my closet to wait for something good to happen. I do my best thinking in the closet. It’s quiet and comfortable and smells like opportunity. I sat with my back against the wall and my knees under my chin. Dismay sat facing me (it’s a big closet), with his paws touching my bare toes. He panted nervously and his dog saliva drip-drip-dripped onto my feet.

Thunder’s gone, I said. You can rest easy, boy.

Dismay wasn’t sure, but he smiled at me anyway, with those shiny dog eyes. It made me want to hug him, so I did. His tail thump-thump-thumped the floor.

The next thing I knew, Great-uncle Edisto surprised us all.

Great-great-aunt Florentine whooped for everyone to come. (Her bedroom was next to Great-uncle Edisto’s bedroom, and she was standing at her mirror, she said later, soaking wet, untying the ribbon on her sunbonnet, when Great-uncle Edisto took his tumble.)

It’s an apoplexy! she hollered. Stroke!

Everyone came running. We picked up Uncle Edisto from where he had landed, put him into bed, covered him with one of Aunt Florentine’s lavender-scented quilts, and called Doc MacRee. Mama sat on one side of Uncle Edisto’s bed. She held Merry on her lap and looked exquisitely sad. Daddy kneeled next to Uncle Edisto on the other side of the bed and stroked his pale forehead. Tidings stood at attention next to Daddy, with his hand over his heart and a devastated look on his face.

Great-uncle Edisto gazed at us peacefully. He took us all in, like he was seeing us new, for the first time. His face was soft (turning a little gray), and, with the covers tucked under his chin, he looked for all the world like a small boy.

Time to go home, he whispered. He blinked a slow blink, and when he opened his eyes, he seemed to be looking beyond us, to a land we couldn’t see . . . a new world to explore.

"You are home, Uncle Edisto," I said. My heart pounded against my chest in a Don’t go! Don’t go! Don’t go! beat. I kept one hand on Dismay; my dog stood next to me, calm and silent, keeping watch.

You go on, Edisto, said Great-great-aunt Florentine, tears streaming down her wrinkled face. It’s your time. Have a wonderful trip, darlin’. She kissed him on the forehead and he closed his eyes. Then he smiled and . . . off he went.

I cried into Aunt Florentine’s wet bosom. Everybody cried, because death is hard. Death is sad. But death is part of life. When someone you know dies, it’s your job to keep on living.

So . . . we did. We adjusted. We did what we always do when death comes calling:

We gathered together.

We started cooking.

We called the relatives.

We called our friends.

We did not have to call the funeral home.

We are the funeral home.

I wrote the obituary.

---

---

Special to

THE AURORA COUNTY NEWS

(Mr. Johnson, this is for the March 28 twilight edition.)

Unexpected Death

Comes Calling at Snowberger’s!

Life Notices by Comfort Snowberger:

Explorer, Recipe Tester, and Funeral Reporter

Imagine the shock and sadness all over Snapfinger, Mississippi, yesterday, when Edisto River Snowberger, patriarch of the Snowberger’s Funeral Home Empire, died just before taking a nap after a failed picnic attempt due to a surprise thunderstorm. The entire Snowberger family sprang into action (that is, after we took a little time to sink into

Reviews for Each Little Bird That Sings

[katielibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

HOW I LOVED THIS BOOK. wisdom packed within the pages. Made my heart swell and hurt - sometimes at the same time. My favorite quote: "it takes courage to look life in the eye and say yes to the messy glory"

[chazzifrazz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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 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.

[librolindsay · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Somewhat conflicted...I thought it was a really good book about dealing with the death of a pet, but I couldn't stand the characters. I probably wouldn't have finished it if it weren't for class. And Declaration was pretty horrible. Maybe she learned her lesson in the end, but some "mistakes" are too much. She can go learn to be a good friend to someone else.

Liked this when it was My Girl.

[robertalea-223265 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved the writing in this book, but didn't care for all the death. It's one thing to kill off a couple of well-loved elderly relatives, but when the dog's demise became apparent, I quit reading.

[fingerpost_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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, 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!

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting, creative, probably helpful to kids who will have to face death and other forms of loss. But for some reason it just didn't ring fully authentic in my heart. And I thought the main character was written just a bit superficially - I just didn't feel her sincerity when she tried to be emotionally brave, and usually she was implausibly self-centered. Not a bad book, but not recommended.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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, 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.

[satyridae · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I am at best lukewarm about this book. The problems I had with it range from the niggling (why does everyone have to have such a stupid-ass name?) to the troublesome (these people are all too good or too bad to be true). I hated the dog's name, because I couldn't get away from the feeling that Dismay was Sorrow Lite (less flatulent, unstuffed).

OTOH, I found the protagonist's journey through some tough times to be well-imagined and accessible. I liked the unrelieved sadness, of course.

But I can't get over the twee factor.

[bridgetrwilson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A lovely book set in an eccentric southern town.

[maestradixon · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book contained an interesting mixture of comedy, sadness, loss, and hope. The characters' names are unique and quirky like their characterizations (ie: Comfort, Bunch, Joy, Tidings, Peach, Declaration, and Dismay.) Comfort is a ten-year-old girl to whom funerals are a way of life. Her hobbies include writing life notices (obituaries) and a funeral recipe cookbook, and making up her own homework assignments. What I love about her is that she is a writer at heart and she spends time in her room writing letters and books, journaling, and crafting creative life notices for the paper. Part of the story is told through her own expressive writing. I know this would have been inspiring for me when I was 10-12 years old and liked to write. The loss in this story is poignant, but tempered by facts about funerals, humorous events, and a surprise change of character for Peach. I would recommend this book for students who are interested in writing, or who have not recently lost someone close to them. I'm sure it would be much harder for someone who had experienced a recent loss to read this book.

[midkid88 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a good book although I wasn't sure where it was leading me (which I suppose could be a good thing). The story is all about a girl whose family lives above thier funeral home and how she handles a couple of tragedies that comes her way. Especially Peach.

[whisper1_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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 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!

[alyssabuzbee · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful story about a girl who grows up in a funeral home. She deals with death in her family and relationships with her cousin and best friend as they change. I found this books very honest portrayal of death and dying very refreshing.

[jasminemarie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is about a girl whose family lives in a funeral home. Not the typical childhood one expects. Most of my students have enjoyed this book each year even though it pushes them to think about death in a way that they probably have not experienced before. As 5th graders, some of my students aren't mature enough to "get" the story, but overall it is well-received by most of my students each year.

[christianr_899499 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Although this was a National Book Award Finalist, I was not won over. It was written from the point of view of Comfort, a girl who lives with her family in a local funeral home. To me, this is the type of book that adults will think is wise, and everyone in the family in the book is portrayed as wise, but children readers will not relate to them. Nevertheless, I am probably wrong and some more sensitive children will turn to this for inspiration and comfort. I wish I had liked it more.

[mandaw_5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book, even though it was quite sad. I believe it would be a good book to give a child who is going through the loss of a loved one (or a pet). 5 stars.

[jepeters333 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

10-year-old Comfort Snowberger knows a thing or two about death. Her family owns the town funeral home and she has attended 247 funerals. She can tell you which casseroles are worth tasting, whom to sit next to, and whom to avoid at all costs. Number one on that Avoid list is Comfort's sniveling, whining, unpredictable cousin Peach, who ruins every family occasion. So when Great-great-aunt Florentine drops dead - just like that - Comfort expects a family gathering to remember.

[yamatos_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When ten-year-old Comfort Snowberger has to deal with the sudden death of her Great-uncle Edisto and Great-great-aunt Florintine she has to deal with her very obnoxious cousin Peach,who gets Comfort in a lot of trouble. A lot of horriable things happen during this sad time. While a walk ,Peach and Comfort get stuck in a flood and Comfort loses her dog Dismay while saving Peach's life.

[readingrat_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Down-home characters, a loyal dog, and wonderfully touching messages concerning love and loss give this book a feel that brought to mind "Because of Winn Dixie".

[yorkie1887 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A story about a girl who isn't afraid to be different.This book also gives you an inside peek at what it is like to work at a funeral home

[ewyatt_16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Comfort Snowberger lives in a funeral home. She is an avid writer, writing life notices instead of death notices and writing rules for proper funeral behavior. After a couple losses in her family, a strained relationship with her best friend Declaration, and a long visit from her pesky-cousin, Comfort feels like her life is out of control. Comfort learns a lot of valuable life lessons over the course of the novel. A really cute, touching read!

[cabiblioraven · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Good book for fourth graders to sixth graders in dealing with loss and death.

[bibliophile26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the author of one of my favorite children's books, Ruby Lavender. The story of a little girl growing up in a funeral home surrounded by death. Funny at times, and very heartwrenching

[la_librarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Each little bird that sings is wonderful story for any young person that has experienced a loss in their lives. Comfort Snowberger's family runs a funeral home and it seems that she is more comfortable with dying and death than most adults. She believes that death is a part of life...until she loses something she didn't expect to lose. Wiles handles the emotions of loss well coming from several losses in the past years herself. Highly recommended for middleschoolers.

[makeart2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of those heartwarming children's stories that everyone should read. It handles the difficult issue of death with warmth and humor. It is one of the BEST books I have ever read, you should read it.