The Boy, the Bird & the Coffin Maker

March 1, 2018

Gr 3-6-A lyrical and melancholy tale about a lonely man who befriends a small boy and his bird. Alberto is the town coffin maker, having taken this role after a plague claimed his entire family and decimated the town of Allora, famous for its seaside location and flying fish. When a small boy named Tito, along with his pet bird Fia, sneaks into Alberto's home to steal food, the old man welcomes him and the two form a bond. Tito's father, a rather sinister-seeming character, is on the hunt for the boy, and Alberto helps Tito hide. The atmospheric writing and light touches of magical realism give the story a slightly fantastical feel. The blue typeface and illustrations add to this quality; each page is illustrated along its borders and there are additional full-page illustrations throughout. The measured pace of the story allows for character development, not only of Alberto and Tito but also for many minor characters, including a fisherman and the mayor. VERDICT Give to fans of Jessica Townsend's Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow or Kelly Barnhill's The Girl Who Drank the Moon. A strong purchase for large and medium-sized collections.-Jenni Frencham, Columbus Public Library, WI

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 19, 2018
In the beautiful town of Allora, where fish fly and every house is a brilliant hue, a plague has killed the family of carpenter Antonio. Thirty-one years later, Antonio has become the local coffin maker, spending more time with the dead than with the living. After he buries a young woman who had recently arrived in town, food begins disappearing from his home, and he discovers that she has left behind her 10-year-old son, Tito. The child is skittish, distrustful, and afraid of being discovered by his cruel father, who had abused his mother. But after Antonio nurses the desperately ill boy back to health, Tito slowly begins to trust Antonio and becomes his apprentice. Soon, the two form their own family, but the arrival of Tito’s father threatens their bond. This magical tale, told from an omniscient viewpoint that roves among the characters, is interspersed with a story that Tito and Antonio share aloud of a magical land that just might be real. Elegantly told from start to finish and enhanced by Allepuz’s evocative images and decorations, debut author Woods has created a fairy tale that will linger with readers. Ages 8−12.

March 15, 2018
Alberto, a carpenter who's buried his entire family, finds rejuvenation in protecting a motherless boy from his abusive father.Perched above the sea, Allora is beloved by artists and renowned for its peculiar flying fish. Thirty years before, a plague swept the town, sparing few. Instead of furniture, Alberto began crafting coffins, including those for his own wife and children. Now, after burying the reclusive Miss Bonito, Alberto's food begins going missing. He catches the thief--young Tito Bonito, along with his colorful pet bird, Fia. As boy and bird grow to trust kindly Alberto, Tito becomes his apprentice. Nursing Tito back from a dire illness, Alberto settles him into the children's room, reading him fantastical tales from The Story of Isola. Through Tito's perspective, readers learn of the dangerous father that he and Mum fled south to escape. Dreaded Mr. Bonito arrives, aligning with the mayor, to find Tito, leading Alberto, Tito, and magical Fia to enact a daring escape by sea. Woods' charming narrative evokes a folkloric Mediterranean landscape of jewel-hued dwellings, sparkling water, and colorful, Italian-esque characters (who are default white). Two gossipy sisters wreak havoc, and the vainglorious mayor, as wide as he's tall, commissions the grandiose casket that serves as the trio's getaway craft. Isola, the treasure-laden land of their read-aloud, beckons them.A quietly triumphant tale with a respectful, matter-of-fact regard for the dead. (Fantasy. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from April 15, 2018
Grades 3-5 *Starred Review* Woods fashions an incredibly tender, old-fashioned story in her debut. Using an economy of prose, she confidently unspools the story of young Tito Bonito and how he came to Allora, a quaint Italian town known for its flying fish and colorful houses. There, a carpenter named Alberto lives atop a hill, and after a plague ravages the town and claims his family, he becomes Allora's coffin maker. Many years later, Alberto discovers a skittish, starving boy stealing food from his kitchen, accompanied by a rainbow-feathered bird. Big-hearted Alberto gradually wins the boy's trust, finding an apprentice and surrogate son in the process. However, little Bonito has frightening things in his past that catch up to him, and Alberto must put his coffin-making skills to unusual use in order to help the boy. Wood deftly evokes a wondrous sense of place and creates characters for whom readers will deeply care. Antique blue page borders and illustrations add to the story's folkloric feel, a quality amplified by the role such tales play in the narrative itself. Death, gossip, greed, and cruelty touch this story, but they are outshone by true friendships and the love that grows between Alberto and Tito?and the bird, Fia, of course. This uplifting book will enthrall readers, enveloping them in its gentle charm.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)