The Tenth Good Thing About Barney
A child prepares ten good things to say at his cat's burial but can initially find only nine; conversation with his father connects memory, decomposition and the garden without claiming certainty about heaven.
The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Judith Viorst is estimated to take about 9 minutes to read aloud (812 words, 2 sentences a spread). Best for ages 4-6.
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- Estimated read-aloud time
- about 9 minutesEstimated read-aloud time
- Words
- 812Word count
- Sentences per spread
- 2Text density
- Re-read tolerance
- 3/5holds up
- Vocabulary level
- 3/5a few new words
- Best for
- Ages 4-6Age range
Our review
The missing tenth item gives grief a task without turning the list into a cure. At the burial, the child hears different beliefs, asks where Barney is, and receives an honest distinction between what his father knows and does not know. The garden eventually supplies a final good thing through physical return to the earth.
Badger's Parting Gifts emphasizes skills and stories carried by friends after an elder dies. Barney is more immediate and concrete about a pet's body and burial. Families should preview its theological openness and adapt the conversation to their own beliefs without erasing the child's questions.
Before you buy it
The book discusses burial and a parent's agnostic answer directly. Badger's Parting Gifts offers a less biological, community-centered account of what remains.
Themes
- pet death
- cats
- funerals
- remembering
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