Who Killed Cock Robin?
About an avian community’s efforts to honor the dead, Who Killed Cock Robin? is a lovely picture book.
Drawing on a classic nursery rhyme, Ron Charach’s mournful picture book Who Killed Cock Robin? follows as birds come together to perform the last rites for one of their own.
A robin is shot with a bow and arrow by a sparrow. A variety of other birds take on a role in its funeral: The procession is led by a crow, the eulogy is sung by a mockingbird, and the obituary is written by a plover. In the end, all of the birds pay their respects to Cock Robin. Out of their shared effort comes a beautiful sense of community and a story about what dying entails.
Gorgeous illustrations fill the book, making use of vibrant colors and detailed figures. A red-winged blackbird wipes its tears with a handkerchief; a crow draws the robin-sized coffin forward with a rope. The illustrations without figurative characters are textured with muted watercolor tones that contribute to the somber energy of the tale. Many pages are bordered by wildflowers, too.
Rhyming quatrains are printed in tasteful locations, adding to the beauty of the images. Their delicate, poetic lines complement the drawings well, as when these lines run alongside the image of a plover clad in glasses and hat, filling out a scroll with a pen between its talons:
Who’ll write the obituary?
I, said the Plover,
His short life I shall cover,
I’ll write the obituary.
They maintain clear cadences and tonal consistency throughout. Their words are often repeated, but with the precision of an incantation. A refrain that speaks to the tragedy of the loss recurs throughout, conjuring images of birds sighing, sobbing, and lying on the ground that are as arresting and powerful as the illustrations.
A dark but lovely picture book, Who Killed Cock Robin? takes place in the aftermath of a death, as a bird’s feathered companions join together in mourning.
Reviewed by
Willem Marx
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
