Friday, February 3, 2023

*Review* The Old Man Eating Alone by Howard Pearlstein

 

Genre: Children's 5-9
Published: March 14, 2023
Pages: 40


As long as we have our memories, we will always be together...

Every morning Emily sees an old man eating alone in a café. This makes her sad, and one day she decides to talk with him. The man takes Emily on a journey through his fondest memories. She soon realizes that the bond he had with the love of his life is so strong that he will never be lonely, even if he is alone. 

An honest and heartwarming story about a beautiful friendship, the place precious memories will always have in our hearts and love after death. For children ages 5 years and up.



I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review. 

This is a sad story about a little girl who sees the same old man eating at the same table in the local cafe she passes on her way to school every day, until one day he's not there. When he's back the next day, she rushes inside to ask him where he was because she was quite worried he was dead when he was missing the day before. She starts joining him every day to listen to stories about him and his wife when they were younger until one day he's not there again, or the next, or the next. But he left her a note. 

The illustrations were pretty dark throughout the book, because apparently in spite of the giant window the girl looks through every day before she confronts the man, this cafe does not get much natural light in the morning (must be west facing). Or maybe the dark is because of what's to come in the book. 

This is a book I wouldn't want to read to children often because it almost made wet stuff leak from my eyes at the end, and I don't particularly enjoy crying, especially not from reading a children's book. That being said, it made me feel more than most children's books I've read, so it's got that going for it. Overall I give it 4.7 out of 5 stars. - Katie 




Howard Pearlstein is a picture book author and an advertising creative director who has worked with some of the world’s most popular brands. A California native, Howard now lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with his wife, Debi. Howard has three daughters, Amanda, Jacquie, and Emily, who have grown up and live across the country. He also has a dog named Maeby, who still lives at home. 

Hilde Groven earned her Master of Fine Arts in 2004. Since then, she has worked as a graphic designer and freelance illustrator for European magazines and literary publishers. Additionally, she makes jewelry, accessories, and greeting cards. Hilde’s favorite topics are nature, fantasy, and emotion. She also teaches drawing courses in “Atelier Hilde” in Hasselt, Belgium—a cozy drawing studio where every person with drawing dreams can discover their talents.

No comments:

Post a Comment