One small detail I found particularly interesting was that Viorst named everyone except the boy. And the boy comes to understand how Barney fits in with the circle of life, in this story that comes full circle itself, and delivers on its title. I said I would try to think of another one later.Īnd later, as they work together in the garden, his dad tells him how things change in the ground, and that yes, Barney will change, too. Those are all good things about Barney, said my mother, but I just count nine. They’ve decided to have a funeral and, the night before, the boy’s mother tells him to think of ten good things about Barney.Īt the funeral, attended by both parents and neighbour Annie, the boy recites his list of good things: smart, and cuddly, and so on. This story is first person narrative of a young boy trying to comprehend and come to terms with the death of his cat, Barney. Given that the life cycle of animals is short, it is often the first death a child will experience. When you raise a child, or teach young children, there is bound to come a time when a beloved pet dies. They have three sons, Anthony, Nicholas and Alexander, and two perfect grandchildren, Miranda and Brandeis.
She resides in Washington, DC with her husband Milton, a political writer. Viorst lectures widely on a variety of topics, ranging from the subjects of loss and control to children's literature. Viorst's children's books include The Tenth Good Thing About Barney, The Alphabet From Z to A, and the "Alexander" stories: Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday, Alexander, Who's Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move and, of course, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.
Her book Necessary Losses, published in 1986, appeared for almost two years on The New York Times best-seller list in hardcover and paperback. Monti, was published in 1994 and her most recent work of non-fiction, Imperfect Control, was published in January 1998 by Simon and Schuster. Her first novel for adults, Murdering Mr. She began her career as a poet and has since completed six collections of poems for adults.
in History from Rutgers University, and she is also a graduate of the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute where she is a research affiliate. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, her most famous children's book, was first published in 1972 and has since sold over two million copies. Judith Viorst is the author of several works of fiction and non-fiction for children as well as adults.
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