Official Review: Rooster's Voice by Adriana Pernetz

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Juliana_Isabella
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Official Review: Rooster's Voice by Adriana Pernetz

Post by Juliana_Isabella »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Rooster's Voice" by Adriana Pernetz.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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Rooster’s Voice by Adriana Pernetz is a children’s picture book that focuses on the loss of a loved one and the experience of grief. This review does include spoilers, as this is information necessary for parents to decide if the book is suited for their children. The story revolves around Rooster, who is loved by all the animals on the farm. His voice is central to the farm animals’ happiness, as he comforts some animals and teaches songs to others. One day, the animals realize that Rooster’s voice is absent, and they feel sad as they recognize the hole he has left in their lives. However, each animal begins to take on a different role that Rooster played so that they can continue their lives while honoring his memory.

I loved the ending of this book, as it expressed a way for people to remember their loved ones while also being able to move on. The author focused on how the animals banded together to help eachother overcome their grief, but she also showed that they needed time to feel sad and to remember Rooster. This book demonstrates that people who have lost loved ones must find a balance between being sad and remembering them and learning to be happy without them. I liked that their way of moving on included daily reminders of how important Rooster was and involved all of the animals taking on the helpful roles that Rooster once played around the farm.

My one complaint about this book is that it wasn’t clear that Rooster would not be coming back. The animals just wake up one day and find him gone, which isn’t usually how children experience death in the real world. I would have appreciated the animals seeing Rooster sick and preparing eachother for his death rather than just having him disappear.

Overall, I would rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I was tempted to give it the full four stars because of how well the author handled the aftermath of Rooster’s death, but I realized that if I, as an adult, was confused about how he died, children likely would be too.

I would recommend this book for children ages 4 to 9, but it should be read with an adult. This is not due to the difficulty, although some higher-level vocabulary words are included, but rather because I think children should be able to discuss the story and themes with a parent or trusted adult.

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Rooster's Voice
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Stephanie Elizabeth
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Post by Stephanie Elizabeth »

This would be a great book for parents trying to explain death to their children. I think it's great, like you mentioned, that each person takes on a job that Rooster did. I like that the book emphasizes holding memories dear to you instead of focusing on person/animal not coming back!. Thanks for the lovely review!
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kandscreeley
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Post by kandscreeley »

Unfortunately, grief is part of life. Thus, it's important to help children learn how to handle it. This sounds like it does a great job with that. Thanks for your thoughts.
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Wyland
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Post by Wyland »

Quite a sad tale. It's always sad bringing up the subject of death to children. But then I don't know if that's how the book describes Rooster's absence or is just missing. Thanks for the nice review.
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Post by Miller56 »

Death of animals or people is part of life. I have never had to explain that type of grief to my children. They have all been older when people we know and love have passed. Based on your review, this book provides a great way to start a conversation about death and grief. Thanks for the review on a difficult subject.
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Post by Chrystal Oaks »

Given the unfortunate reality of animal cruelty, the author might have left it open for the reader(s) to decide what to discuss: food consumption, illness, old age, or extreme abuse, just to identify a few possibilities. I see this book not only good for helping children deal with death, but also showing children that animals feel and show emotion when change occurs. Great review!
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Post by kdstrack »

This is a sensitive subject for this age level but important for them to learn to handle. It does seem like the author left a hole in the story by not explaining the finality of death. I enjoyed your comments and suggestions. Wonderful review!
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Post by Sheila_Jay »

I love the storyline and I believe that children can learnt a lot from the book. The book can help them understand how to cope with the loss of a loved one at a tender age. Children can also learn how to take up roles in the absence of someone who previously performed a given task.
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Post by Meg98 »

I love that there is a book out there to help children understand and cope with grief. I certainly didn't have anything like that when I was growing up, and I'm sure it would have helped me greatly when the time called for it. Thanks for this excellent review!
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Post by Magnify3 »

I like that you mention that the book should be read with an adult. I have not yet got to the point of explaining death to a child. I guess that this book would be helpful for someone like me too.
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Post by SangeethaNarayan »

This would definitely be a great book to introduce for my son. He lost his grandmother last year and often asks about her. This is a very sensitive topic indeed and I'm glad the ajthor has taken time to explain this. I will definitely be checking this book out for my son.
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