This sweet picture book tells the story of a terminally ill grandmother who comes to live with the main character. She gives her grandchild the job of filling her bird feeder. She then moves to a hospice and her grandchild comes to visit her. And the end of the story there are pictures that elude to the idea that the grandmother has passed, but it is not explicitly stated and does not evoke sadness. The child enjoys continuing to watch and feed the birds to think about grandma. I think this book would be really great for young children to begin to learn about death in a very calm and gentle story. This book touched a soft spot in my heart because my grandma loved hummingbirds and passed on the importance of taking care of the feeders to her grandchildren. As a grade 3 teacher, I would recommend highly this book to parents, teachers or guidance counsellors of children in the age 4-8 range. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

A great book on dealing with change, the Hospice system, and loss. This is a gentle book that doesn't stay on grief too long, instead showing that it is possible to move past it. I will be adding this to our collection!

This is such a lovely little book. The story is gentle and the pictures are soft which is perfect for the subject matter. It paints the relationship between a grandparent and grandchild in very sweet and thoughtful way without being too specific. And though this is about a family where grandma lives with them before moving to hospice I think it would still work well for a family in a different living situation.
The thing I appreciated most is that the grandmother’s actual death is mostly drawn through the illustrations rather than words. It allows the book to assist but leaves her passing as something that caregivers can explain to their child in the way they most see fit.
This would be a really great book to have both during this time in a child’s life as well as after to help them reflect and hold all the special memories they have with their loved one.

Thanks to Netgalley for the e-arc of this title!

The Bird Feeder leaves space for all the feelings that arise as a grandparent ages and dies. The main character connects with their grandmother over watching birds at the birdfeeder and then drawing them together, first at home, then in hospice. The text is sparse, leaving room for the weight of the story unfolding in the illustrations. The color palette remains subdued throughout making the bright red of the cardinals pop off the page. I enjoyed this picture book a great deal and I believe it would make a wonderful addition to any collection, and for children dealing with the loss of a grandparent.

Beautiful book that nicely explain the passing of loved one and hospice.

The inclusion of the purple jello made me laugh, because it is a very relatable and common sight in hospices and care homes.

It's a gentle and easy to understand way to prepare kids to what they are going to experience with sick relatives or family friends. Helping your child find a common hobby that they can continue to participate with the special person

I'm not crying, you're crying!
The Bird Feeder is a really sweet story about a grandmother and her grandchild who bond over a shared love of birds. This bond carries on when grandma is moved into hospice care, and after grandma's passing, the child hangs a bird feeder outside their window to continue the tradition of looking at birds and remembering grandmother.
The illustrations are peaceful yet colorful. The birds are based on real species, so that could be incorporated when reading. The book makes the transition into hospice care less scary for a child, and shows that even in death we can connect to those we have lost. Andrew Larsen's book does not specifically mention that grandmother has died, which I think is good because it allows parent and child to discuss this in their own words.
A lovely book, thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC and give my opinion on it.

Miigweetch NetGalley and Kids Can Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

“The Bird Feeder” is a heartfelt picture book about the relationship between a grandmother and her grandchild. When grandma can no longer live alone, she comes to stay with the child’s family and everything is very wonderful as the two of them can draw, watch the birds outside their window, and “talk about interesting things.” Over time, grandma becomes unwell and must enter hospice, and eventually she passes on. The bird feeder is a thread throughout this time.

I thought the book beautifully handles a very delicate and emotional subject (aging and dying). Language is simple and straightforward, not flowery and there are no muddled metaphors. The parent figure in the story talks to the child about what is happening with the grandma, why she is moving to hospice, in a clear and direct way. I was moved by the story and thought the artwork complemented the text very well.

I recommend this to families with Elders who may be approaching a change such as what we see in the book (e.g. grandparents coming to live at home, entering hospice, preparing for death, etc).

The Bird Feeder explores the relationship between a grandmother and her grandchild during her final days. They enjoy watching birds together and that activity creates a deeper bond between the two. This is a great way to explain the loss of a grandparent, or any other family member, to a little kid. The illustrations were soft and gentle which went with the tone of the book perfectly. I will be recommending this to my library for purchase.

Wow, what a great picture book. It follows a young child as their grandmother goes from living in their home to a hospice living home. The drawings are gentle and the book isn't overdramatic; more simple and soft than on the page emotions. The entire story is anchored by a bird feeder that serves as a connection between grandma and grandson; in my experience in senior living communities, this is something so relatable. This book is a treasure and I image would be really lovely for young readers.

A bitter-sweet story of the last weeks of a grandmother and her grandchild. A great book to introduce the concept of death and the idea of hospice care.
The visual world, including the colour palette, is human and calming, and I really appreciate that the grandchild has no gender.

A hugely important book.

Thank you NetGalley and Kids Can Press for an Advance Review Copy.

The Bird Feeder by Andrew Larsen is a beautifully written book that can help children grieving from the loss of a loved one. The pictures are captivating and the bond this grandmother and grandchild have really makes me think of my own grandparents.

I will be recommending this book to my school to use in many different ways.

Thank you NetGalley and Kids Can Press for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Way to make me cry Andrew Larsen! This is a beautiful book. I loved the connection between the grandma and the child and how they still were there for and feeding the birds even when grandma moved.
I liked that the bird feeder still kept that connection between the child and grandma after she was gone.
So so sweet & really lovely illustrations. I also liked that the child can be perceived as a girl or a boy, so many children can relate.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This book was so emotional. My poor heart!

This is the story about a young child and his relationship with his grandma who is sick. The grandma likes to watch birds and he waters the bird feeder. But his grandma is sent to a hospice because of her illness. I won't say much because it is a short book.

This book was utterly beautiful. It broke my heart in the end. It showed such a beautiful relationship between a grandchild and a grandparent. Their relationship was precious and my heart was not ready for what happened.

The illustrations and the colours were so beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. I loved the story and the illustrations both so much. Highly recommend this one.