Written by: Judith Viorst.

Illustrated by: Erik Blegvad.

When Barney, the family cat, dies the narrator’s parents organise a funeral service for which his mother advises him to “[t]hink of ten good things about Barney.” The narrator thinks of nine things but cannot think of the tenth. The narrator and his neighbour, Annie, discuss the afterlife:  whether Barney is in Heaven or the ground. The narrator’s father talks to him, telling him that is all right to be sad.  He also uses the growth of plants to help ease the narrator’s grief, telling him that Barney will “help to grow the flowers, and he’ll help to grow that tree and some grass.” This becomes the tenth good thing about Barney because “that’s not a bad life for a cat.”

Ages: 5 to 7 years old.

Credit: Anne C (Storytime Solidarity member).