COMMON SENSE AND FOWLS

Mrs. Krnc is feeding the pigeons again and this makes Mr. Gioia angry. Mr. Gioia and the neighbors wonder if Mrs. Krnc is slightly crazy. They make a drastic decision to sell her house and use the money to put her in a retirement home. Rachel and her friend Brian, featured in Family Dinner (1995), see this plan as unjust. They visit Mrs. Krnc and learn that she isn’t nuts, but vastly lonely since her husband’s death. Next, a visit to Mr. Gioia reveals his boredom since retirement. With the help of Rachel’s Uncle Benson and gentle persuasion on the part of Rachel and Brian, Mr. Gioia comes up with a much kinder plan that benefits everyone. As things are neatly wrapped up, it seems a little too tidy. The result, however, is a thought-provoking story that unfolds with amiable drawings and a flipbook bonus. Rachel and Brian ultimately learn that gathering all the facts is essential to any fair plan and that having an open mind will always serve everyone best. (Fiction. 7-11)