Old Pearl

May 1, 2021
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)

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