Each Little Bird That Sings

Reading in the matter-of-fact, bright voice of precocious 10-year-old heroineComfort Snowberger, Guest gets the tone of Wiles's story just right from the opening line: "I come from a family with a lot of dead people." Comfort's experiences as a member of the colorful clan that lives in and runs the funeral home in tiny Snapfinger, Miss., provide her with a unique perspective on life and death. But things turn all topsy-turvy when the girl's beloved great-uncle and great-great-aunt die within months of each other and her best friend, Declaration, suddenly can't stand her. Great-great-Aunt Florentine's funeral proves the catalyst for several life-altering events for Comfort, her whiny, aggravating younger cousin Peach and all the Snowbergers. Guest relates the Southern-oddball charm and oft-precious details of Wiles's book without sounding too cloying; however, listeners may find Guest's variation of Peach's voice just as annoying as Comfort does in the text. And many listeners will be hard-pressed not to tear up when Comfort and her mother have a heart-to-heart in the local cemetery toward this satisfying tale's end. Ages 8-12. (Dec.)