A heartwarming story with very unique illustrations. This book really makes you think about the strangers we pass by everyday.

This is a book about learning how to cope with death and loss. While the story has potential I found it to be missing something and was not overly impressed with the style of illustrations.

This was a fun book to read. Every morning a little girl gets sad when she sees an old man eating alone in a cafe. One day she doesn’t see him there and fears he might be dead. Next time she sees him, she decides to talk to him. She learns all about the special times this old man shared with someone, and all the fun things they did together. As this tale comes to a close, this little girl learns an important lesson.

What a lovely story. The illustrations were well done and the message was beautiful. It even made me tear up. I think both kids and adults can get something out of this book!

I would not buy this book for a child. I wouldn’t read this book to a child. There is too much discussion of death and dying and will leave a small child sad and wondering if their grown ups are going to die. The topic could be approached in a much better and softer way.
The light colored words are also very hard to see and read.

Thanks for the arc.

The best friendship that I ever feel with big age factors lies between a child and his/her grandparents and likewise. Here also the story capturing the same theme.
Emily is girl who regularly saw an old man sitting in a restaurant eating alone. One day when she didn't find him she got worried but to found him day next to it. She approached him and asked for the reason of absence. He then shared his memories of him with his deceased wife with her. Their bond became so close that he shared every memory with her till he went forever to never come back.

This is a beautiful story, though was predictable, but still it carried the very essence of the value of relationships in life.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are entirely my own..

The book follows a young girl called Emily who passes a coffee shop everyday on her way to school and cannot help looking at the people in the shop.. Every day she sees an old man enjoys his company and befriends him. The friendship is heartwarming as he shares his love story with his wife and the beauty of solace. The author tackled friendship, grief , memories and companionship. I really enjoyed the story.

What a moving children’s book. A little girl sees a man eating alone and she decides to speak to him. She soon realizes that the memories he shares with his loved ones will always be with him and that he will truly never be alone. Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest feedback!

Thank you to the author, Clavis Publishing and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This children's book centers around the idea of friendship, and the solace of memories even after someone has died and you are missing them. The concepts are introduced gently and with feeling, but without pathos. I loved the way the story developed, and also the way respect for elders and kindness toward others are imparted. The beautiful illustrations are the perfect complement to this story - highly recommend!

Oh my gosh, that's a gut punch. This is such a bittersweet story for teaching children about death in a gentle, heartwarming way. I would definitely recommend it- just handle children's emotions with care while reading this one.

Well that was a gut punch of a children’s book. It’s such a beautiful sentiment but it’s definitely not for little littles. The illustrations are lovely.

This was a delightful but emotionally moving book. It brought tears to my eyes and I could see the children were moved too. It is so beautifully illustrated and elicits such empathy. Lovely.

A touching story of a girl who met an old man on her way to school. An unusual story of a girl who started to notice the old man, and become fast friends till the end. A bittersweet story, but beautiful at the end. Also serves as a reminder to me that friendship can come in everyway for every age.

I was pulled in by the cover and on that note, the illustrations were beautiful! I especially enjoyed the last escape of the title page with the old man in one corner surrounded by blankness, punctuating how alone he seemed to the child. The story was lovely, perhaps more on the romantic side. As a parent, I think it would have been important to balance this with ‘stranger danger’ concerns/unfortunate realities, and perhaps an intimation of parental/guardian presence nearby. The text blocks might also be a bit on the longer side for picture books re: ease of younger kids reading

I have no idea how any adult could read this to a child without sobbing.

It's a beautiful book, filled with love and kindness and longing for those who've left us behind in this world as they've passed on to whatever is next. It's important, especially for children, to see that when people die, their memory is still enjoyed by all who loved them.

But prepare yourself: this book brings all the feels. I don't know how you harden yourself to it, in order to read the words aloud, but I feel like we should try.

A simple but could make me cry a river. Just imagine being Mr. Wilson, left one by your loved one. But, glad for Mr. Wilson that in the end he finally met with his love, great for Emily because she gotta lot of live lessons.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review.

This is a sad story about a little girl who sees the same old man eating at the same table in the local cafe she passes on her way to school every day, until one day he's not there. When he's back the next day, she rushes inside to ask him where he was because she was quite worried he was dead when he was missing the day before. She starts joining him every day to listen to stories about him and his wife when they were younger until one day he's not there again, or the next, or the next. But he left her a note.

The illustrations were pretty dark throughout the book, because apparently in spite of the giant window the girl looks through every day before she confronts the man, this cafe does not get much natural light in the morning (must be west facing). Or maybe the dark is because of what's to come in the book.

This is a book I wouldn't want to read to children often because it almost made wet stuff leak from my eyes at the end, and I don't particularly enjoy crying, especially not from reading a children's book. That being said, it made me feel more than most children's books I've read, so it's got that going for it. Overall I give it 4.7 out of 5 stars.

Warning: This book can make an adult cry.
I am not sure where to begin...
"The Old Man Eating Alone," is a bittersweet story that gives me mixed feelings whether this book is apt for young readers. However, the story has a purpose..
It is a heart- warming tale of a beautiful friendship (Old man and the little girl) and retelling the memories of another wonderful relationship (the Old Man's marriage to his wife).
This story explains the concept of the "life ends at some point, but the memories stay forever."
The Old Man Eating Alone can be used as a tool to explain emotions such as grief and love, and events such as death to young readers.

I received an electronic ARC from Clavis Publishing through NetGalley.
A tender story of a child watching an older man eat alone each morning. Readers feel her empathy right away and will be drawn in to learn this man's story too. Emily speaks to him one morning and a friendship blooms as he shares his life with her. The ending is predictable but leads Emily to building her own memories to share. Lovely illustrations capture the characters thoughts and feelings.

I initially picked up ‘The Old Man Eating Alone’ under the impression that it would be a cute story about bonding despite a generation gap. And while technically it is, it turned out to be a much more heart-wrenching story than that. With beautiful illustrations and a compelling storyline, Pearlstein tells the story of love that continues to live on past death.

This story centres around death, grief and love and is a useful tool to introduce young children to the themes. It should be read together and used to generate a conversation. Recommend it for children between the ages of 4 and 7.