Albert
by Donna Jo Napoli

This book was the highlight of my week. It was yet another FIAR treasure. A book read each day for a week is a special joy. My kids make new discoveries on each trip through, join in for lively choruses of their favorite lines, and we all feel the book’s lessons sinking deeper inside of us.

“Albert” will stand as one of my favorites for the year because I can so relate to the main character. We meet Albert in his apartment, which he can’t quite seem to leave. His daily ritual of sticking his hand out the window always begins with the promise of a lovely walk out of doors. But the walk never comes to fruition, for Albert can’t tolerate the “bad noises” that lay outside.

That is, until the perfect climax. I love this moment, the moment after which Albert will never be the same. As Albert reaches his hand out the window, a cardinal drops a single twig in his hand. And then, the cardinal couple proceeds to build a nest in his hand. Albert exclaims, along with me and all my children every time we read it, “Umm, excuse me, but my arm’s not a branch.”

Albert’s will to nurture this young family, helps him to overcome is fear of the outside world. We see the cardinals care for their eggs, the magnificent hatching, and eventually the new little birds learn to fly all while Albert stands with his hand out the window. And then my favorite lines:

“He listened to laughter nearby, a good noise, and the siren of an ambulance far off, a bad noise. And Albert knew now that both were part of this big, wonderful world.”

It’s a lesson I need to learn, a truth I hope to plant in my children’s hearts. And a story is the perfect seed.