A Gift of Feathers

Found feathers become a source of solace for two siblings following the death of their beloved grandmother in this remembrance-focused picture book. Via reminiscing first-person prose by Schept, Talula recounts the last visits that Talula and younger sister Rhea had with “small in size” Grandma Dot, who always greeted them with a snuggle and exclaimed, “So delicious!” Time at Grandma Dot’s city apartment meant viewing the vases of special feathers that she collected as an act of memorial—“Every time I find a feather, I think about my parents watching over me,” she says. When Grandma Dot dies, Talula recounts the pale-skinned, Jewish family’s experience mourning and reveals the special way that she and Rhea remember their grandmother with feathers of their own. Galotta’s ink, watercolor, and colored pencil art balances playful scenes of Grandma Dot and her family with grayscale images that convey a thoughtful, somber tone. An author’s note concludes. Ages 3–6. (Jan.)