THE BIRD FEEDER

A child describes their time with their grandmother and their job keeping the bird feeder filled.

Since Grandma got sick, she’s moved in with the child’s family, and the child couldn’t be more thrilled: The two draw together and watch the birds at the feeder outside. But then the child returns home from school to find Grandma’s room empty: A room finally opened up at the hospice, but the child can still visit all they want. It’s not at all the same, but the child improves it when they bring the feeder from home and hang it on a tree outside her window. As days pass, the two eat jello, draw pictures that cover the walls, and visit with Suki, the therapy dog. But readers are sure to notice that Grandma spends more and more time in bed, that she is sleeping more and looking frailer. Her death happens offscreen, the child glad that Grandma got to see the three baby cardinals in their nest but sad she won’t get to see them fly. Once back home again, the child gazes at the birds visiting the feeder outside their bedroom window, pictures of Grandma prominent on the dresser. The digital illustrations masterfully center both the relationship at the heart of the story and the outside world that seems such a part of each scene. The child and mother are tan-skinned and have black hair; Grandma has pale skin and white hair. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A tear-jerker sure to bring comfort to those facing similar partings.